March 21, 2012
No. 1 Northwestern (7-0, 0-0 ALC) vs. No. 11 Vanderbilt (5-2, 0-1 ALC)
Friday, March 23 3 p.m. CT
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill.
Streaming Video: Big Ten Digital Network
Live Twitter Updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Live Stats: Gametracker
No. 1 Northwestern (7-0, 0-0 ALC) vs. Navy (10-1, 2-0 Patriot League)
Sunday, March 25 Noon CT
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill.
Streaming Video: Big Ten Digital Network
Live Twitter Updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Live Stats: Gametracker
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Following a spring break week with no classes, No. 1 Northwestern has two tough tests in three days beginning with its American Lacrosse Conference opener vs. No. 11 Vanderbilt at 3 p.m. Friday. On Sunday, the Wildcats step back out of conference to host Navy in the return to Evanston of Cindy Timchal, the first head coach of Northwestern women's lacrosse.
Northwestern On the Web
Both of this weekend's matchups will stream live on the Big Ten Digital Network in full HD-quality video. Fans also are encouraged to access live Twitter updates (@NU_SportsLIVE) during the game along with live stats via
Gametracker, linked above.
Scouting the Commodores:
2012: 5-2, 2-1 away, 0-1 ALC, No. 11 IWLCA
Last Three Games: L vs. Penn State (12-11 OT); W vs. Louisville (14-12); W vs. Canisius (10-8)
Head Coach: Cathy Swezy (Trenton State, '93); 127-110 (14th year at Vanderbilt)
Key Players: Katie Ferris (So., A): Ally Carey (Sr., M): 15 goals, 5 assists, 36 draw controls; Katie Mastropieri (So., A): 12 goals, 16 points, 10 GBs; Kendall Pittinger (Sr., A): 8 points, 11 GBs, 7 CTs
In Goal: Natalie Wills (Sr.): 36 saves, .336 save percentage, 11.31 goals against average
After enduring an out-of-character 8-8 season in 2011, Vanderbilt stormed out of the gates this year with a 7-5 upset of then-No. 5 Duke to open the campaign. After falling to North Carolina in game two, the 'Dores won their next four before stumbling in their conference opener, a 12-11 overtime setback to Penn State. With 115 career goals, senior and two-time IWLCA All-American Ally Carey sets the tone for the Vanderbilt attack, but also makes her mark on the circle by leading VU in draw controls (36). Cathy Swezy has won 127 games in her 14 years as head coach of the Commodores and has led her squad to six NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2004 NCAA semifinals.
Series Information:
Northwestern has seized a 10-3 lead in the all-time series with Vanderbilt after dropping the first three meetings from 2002-04. The Commodores were the last American Lacrosse Conference foe to defeat Northwestern at Lakeside Field, a 10-9 VU overtime win back on May 6, 2004. The 'Cats claimed a 17-6 win in Nashville in last year's meeting and now have won the last three matchups by an average of 12.7 goals per game.
Scouting the Mids:
2012: 10-1, 4-1 away, 2-0 Patriot League
Last Three Games: W vs. Lafayette (18-7); W vs. Old Dominion (19-5); W vs. Iona (19-8)
Head Coach: Cindy Timchal (Westchester '76); 68-13 at Navy (fifth season); 404-106 career (30th season)
Key Players: Jasmine DePompeo (Jr., A): 21g, 25a, 46 points, 14 GBs; Kathy Young (Jr., M): 34g, 41 DCs, 21 GBs; Loren Generi (Fr., A): 61 DCs, 30g, 9 GBs
In Goal: Elaina Ponchione (Sr.): 53 saves, .477 save percentage, 8.45 GAA
Lacrosse Coaching Icons Timchal, Amonte Hiller Reunite
Northwestern head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller will face her former head coach at the University of Maryland -- as well as the first women's lacrosse coach in Northwestern history (1982-90) -- when the 'Cats welcome Navy to Lakeside Field for the first time. Two of the most successful coaches in women's college sports history by any measure, Amonte Hiller and Timchal have combined to win 14 NCAA women's lacrosse championships as head coaches since 1992.
Timchal has not coached a game in Evanston since 1990, when she left Northwestern to become head coach at Maryland after compiling an impressive 76-40 record at the helm of the Wildcats. (The NU program was dropped to club status in 1992, where it remained until Amonte Hiller returned it to the Division I level in 2002). Timchal remained at the helm in College Park through 2006, guiding the Terps to a record eight NCAA championships and coaching Amonte Hiller to back-to-back NCAA Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year awards in 1995 and 1996.
Series Information
Northwestern and Navy met for the inaugural time last season when the Wildcats posted an 18-8 victory in Annapolis behind six goals and three assists by Shannon Smith. This year, Cindy Timchal has her squad off to a 10-1 start, assembling a 10-game winning streak after dropping a narrow 11-10 decision to upstart High Point in the opener. The Mids have displayed a high-powered attack during the streak, with Kathy Young putting up 34 goals and Jasmine DePompeo scoring 46 points on 21 goals and 25 assists, helping Navy score an average of 15.9 goals per outing. Freshman Loren Generi also has helped spur Navy's offense with her impressive 61 draw control wins.
Last Time Out:
Northwestern looked every bit like the top-ranked team in the country Saturday, amassing a 10-goal lead at halftime and eventually winning 19-7 over No. 19 Massachusetts, handing the Minutewomen (7-1) their first loss of the year in the process. Senior Shannon Smith was the offensive catalyst in the first half, scoring five times before intermission and finishing with six goals and seven points on the day. Sophomore Kara Mupo contributed three goals and two assists in the win, matching her career high with five points.
Northwestern Against the ALC
Few teams in any sport have had as much success against their conference opponents as Northwestern has had against American Lacrosse Conference foes over the past eight seasons. The Wildcats won 38 consecutive regular-season ALC games between May 6, 2004 and April 14, 2011, and now boast wins in 41 of their last 43 games against ALC opponents. Northwestern has won seven consecutive ALC titles and has won all five ALC tournaments since the event's inception in 2007. In 2011, the 'Cats entered the tournament without the No. 1 seed for the first time and still managed to bring home the hardware, avenging a prior loss to top-seeded Florida in the championship game, 10-9, in Nashville.
End-to-End Threats
Northwestern has plenty of weapons on offense to keep opposing defenses up at night, but that hasn't stopped several NU defenders and midfielders from contributing to the attack. Leading the way has been Taylor Thornton and her nine goals, but senior Lacey Vigmostad also has slid into the attack more often and upped her production from a year ago. Vigmostad boasts five goals and three assists in 2012 after scoring just once as a junior, while also remaining active on `D' with 10 caused turnovers and 17 ground balls. Sophomore Christy Turner has begun to follow her lead, scoring an end-to-end goal Saturday vs. UMass for her first tally of the season.
Mupo Doesn't Miss a Beat
After missing the first two games of 2012 with an injury, sophomore Kara Mupo has provided the type of offensive lift her team had hoped for this season. In five games, Mupo has 10 goals and 16 points, highlighted by a career-best five-goal effort at Louisville on March 7. She matched that point total with three goals and two assists in NU's rout of Massachusetts, the second straight game in which Mupo dished out a pair of assists.
Smith Chasing Northwestern Records
Senior attack Shannon Smith continues to put up remarkable offensive numbers, just as she did in 2011 when she set the NU school record for single-season goals (86) en route to winning the Tewaaraton Trophy. Smith leads Northwestern with 24 goals and 31 points and, after a season-high seven-point effort (6g, 1a) vs. UMass, will reach 300 career points with her next goal or assist (299). That sum ties her with Wildcat great and Smith's former teammate, Hilary Bowen (2006-09) for third on the school's career list. She also is just 38 goals shy of tying Kristen Kjellman's (2004-07) school standard of 250 career goals.
Season Tickets Still Available!
Season tickets for the 2012 Northwestern Lacrosse season are still available! Full-season packages can be purchased for only $49 for adults, $29 for youth and $99 for a family plan (two adult, three youth season tickets). Buying a season ticket is also the only way to receive a FREE replica 2011 NCAA championship ring and an invite to a closed Wildcats practice! Call 1-888-GO-PURPLE or click here to order your tickets today.
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