April 11, 2012
No. 1 Northwestern (12-0, 3-0 ALC) vs. No. 3 North Carolina (13-1, 5-0 ACC)
Friday, April 13 7 p.m. CT
Lakeside Field Evanston, Ill.
Television: Big Ten Network (live)
Radio: WNUR 89.3 FM
Live Twitter Updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Live Stats: Gametracker
No. 1 Northwestern (12-0, 3-0 ALC) vs. No. 19 Johns Hopkins (7-4, 0-2 ALC)
Sunday, April 15 Noon CT
Lakeside Field Evanston, Ill.
Live Stream: Big Ten Digital Network (fee required)
Radio: WNUR 89.3 FM
Live Twitter Updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Gametracker: NUsports.com
Northwestern vs. North Carolina -- Game Notes 
Buy NU Lacrosse Tickets Online! | 2012 Promotional Calendar
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The stretch run of Northwestern's so-far stellar regular season begins at 7 p.m. CT Friday with a marquee matchup against No. 3 North Carolina at Lakeside Field. The game is a rematch of last season's thrilling NCAA semifinal battle and kicks off a stretch of five consecutive home games for the undefeated Wildcats. On Sunday, the Wildcats return to American Lacrosse Conference play when they host Johns Hopkins at noon at Lakeside Field.
Following the 'Cats
Two of Northwestern's next three games will be carried live on the Big Ten Network, beginning with Friday night's showdown against North Carolina. On Sunday, Wildcat fans can watch NU battle Johns Hopkins on the Big Ten Digital Network. Supplement your viewing with live Twitter updates on @NU_SportsLIVE or track live stats via the Gametracker links at the top of the page.
Support Amonte Hiller in NACWAA's Title IX Trailblazer Award Competition!
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the passing of the Title IX legislation, the National Association of Collegiate Women's Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) is sponsoring a contest to celebrate a trailblazer who has made significant contributions to gender equity. A winner will be selected from a list of 25 entrants from schools and conferences across the country, including Northwestern's six-time NCAA championship-winning women's lacrosse coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. To cast your vote for Amonte Hiller, simply click here to watch a YouTube video detailing the many ways in which Amonte Hiller is a trailblazer for women's lacrosse and women's athletics at large. The video with the most views between April 9 and April 23 will win a $9,000 prize for the nominating school, courtesy of the NACWAA Foundation Fund.
Scouting the Tar Heels:
2012: 13-1, 5-0 ACC, 5-1 road, No. 3 IWLCA
Last Three Games: W vs. Maryland (14-11), W vs. Virginia Tech (15-4), W vs. Duke (4-2)
Head Coach: Jenny Levy (Virginia '92); 222-89 (17th year at UNC)
Key Players: Laura Zimmerman (Sr., M): 33g, 16a, 23 ground balls; Abbey Friend (So., A): 43g, 8-16 free position, 4 game-winning goals; Emily Garrity (Jr., M): 23 points, 23 ground balls, 15 caused turnovers
In Goal: Lauren Maksym (Jr.): 58 saves, .436 save pct., 6.94 goals against average
North Carolina is coming off what may be the most impressive stretch of its 13-1 season, locking up the ACC regular season championship with wins over No. 7 Duke (4-2) and No. 3 Maryland (14-11) in an eight-day span. Against the Terps, junior Kara Cannizzaro broke through with a career-high five goals while sophomore Abbey Friend notched four goals and one assist in the win. UNC's Jenny Levy, who has led her team to three straight appearances in the NCAA semifinals, has her squad averaging 13.6 goals per game, led by 3.1 goals per game by Friend.
Series Information
Two of the undeniable heavyweights in women's college lacrosse, Northwestern and North Carolina have met on championship weekend in the NCAA Tournament each of the last three years -- two semifinal matchups and the 2009 NCAA title game. The Wildcats have won on all three occasions, most recently an 11-10 win in the semifinals when a Shannon Smith goal with 18 seconds remaining sent NU into the championship game. Northwestern is 9-2 overall against UNC, with the Tar Heels last win in the series coming on April 18, 2010. That UNC victory (18-16) snapped Northwestern's NCAA-record 58-game home winning streak, but the Wildcats earned their revenge when they ousted the Heels from the NCAA Tournament a month later.
Scouting the Blue Jays:
2012: 7-4, 0-2 ALC, 3-1 away, No. 19 IWLCA
Last Three Games: L vs. Florida (13-12, 2OT); L at Vanderbilt (14-11); W vs. Princeton (8-7)
Head Coach: Janine Tucker (Loyola, '89); 19th season at JHU (208-108)
Key Players: Taylor D'Amore (So., M): 24 goals, 25 assists, 43 draw controls; Candace Rossi (Sr., A): 21 goals, 18 assists, 17 draw controls; Colleen McCaffrey (Sr., A): 28 goals, 28 draw controls
In Goal: KC Emerson (Fr.): 6 games started, 9.29 GAA, 52 saves, .456 save pct.; Cosette Larash (Jr.): 5 games started, 9.22 GAA, 20 saves, .328 save pct.
With a Wednesday evening matchup vs. Virginia still to play before coming to Evanston, Johns Hopkins is looking to bounce back from two dispiriting conference losses, first a 14-11 defeat at Vanderbilt before a 13-12 loss to No. 5 Florida in double overtime. The Blue Jays, who also suffered a one-goal loss earlier in the season to Stony Brook, rallied from a 9-5 second-half deficit and actually held a lead in overtime before the Gators won the game on a free position shot in sudden victory. The senior attack tandem of Candace Rossi and Colleen McCaffrey has been a potent one for the Blue Jays, but sophomore Taylor D'Amore -- who sat out much of last year's game with NU after two early yellow cards -- has carried much of the scoring load with a team-best 49 points.
Series Information
Northwestern and Johns Hopkins have contested several tight games in recent meetings, including last year's 12-11 upset win by the Blue Jays at a rainy Homewood Field in Baltimore. Both of Johns Hopkins' last two trips to Lakeside Field have been decided by four goals or fewer: an 11-7 Northwestern win in 2010 and a 14-12 outcome by the eventual national champion Wildcats in 2008. Prior to the Hopkins victory a year ago, NU had won eight straight games in the series.
Last Time Out
Poised for another dramatic showdown with a top-10 ranked Penn Quaker team, No. 1 Northwestern instead dominated possession early and jumped to a quick 5-0 lead, holding on the rest of the way to win 14-6 Sunday in Philadelphia. The Quakers turned the ball over on their first five offensive possessions and coughed the ball up a total of 16 times on the afternoon. On the offensive end, Shannon Smith and Erin Fitzgerald each posted hat tricks, their seventh and fifth of the year, respectively. Prior to Sunday, NU and Penn had played six straight games in which the margin of victory was four goals or fewer.
View from the Top
Northwestern remained the unanimous No. 1-ranked squad in this week's IWLCA poll for the fourth straight week, the 66th time out of a possible 92 ranking periods dating to 2005 in which the Wildcats have held the top spot in the country. Northwestern, the lone unbeaten team remaining in Division I women's lacrosse, has played four top-10 opponents this year and won those games by an average of 7.5 goals per game. The 'Cats also debuted at No. 1 in the NCAA RPI rankings, the first installment of which was issued Tuesday.
Since NU's current senior class arrived on campus for the 2009 season, NU has played 58 games against ranked opponents (including postseason) and won 55 of them. That includes a 28-3 mark against opponents ranked in the top 10.
Fitzgerald In the Clutch
Just as Shannon Smith did down the stretch of her junior season, Erin Fitzgerald has shown a penchant for coming through when it matters most. Against No. 23 Vanderbilt on March 23, Fitzgerald scored back-to-back goals after the Commodores cut what had been a five-goal NU lead to one with 23 minutes remaining, sparking what proved to be a 7-1 Wildcats run to close the game. One week later vs. Ohio State, Fitzgerald helped NU stave off defeat when she converted an 8-meter goal with 19 seconds remaining to tie the score, sending the game to overtime where the 'Cats prevailed 13-12.
Wildcat Wall
Northwestern's veteran defensive unit has stymied opposing offenses this year, entering the week ranked first nationally in fewest goals surrendered per outing at 6.72. Senior goalkeeper Brianne LoManto, the reigning ALC Defensive Player of the Week, leads the nation in goals against average (6.35) and, along with UNC's Lauren Maksym, is one of two goalies with a GAA below 7.0. NU also is tied for seventh in ground balls and ranks 18th in caused turnovers per outing.
Smith Climbs Northwestern, NCAA Record Lists
Senior attack Shannon Smith's recent hot streak -- she has six straight games with at least three goals -- has moved her into some impressive company both on the NU and NCAA career scoring lists. Her hat trick vs. Penn on Sunday gave her sole possession of second place on NU's all-time goals list with 231, 19 shy of tying Kristen Kjellman's (2004-07) school standard of 250 career goals. Additionally Smith now has a place on the NCAA all-time lists for both points (15th, 323) and goals (16th, 231). She recently passed her head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller (319) on the NCAA career points list.
Amonte Hiller Against the ACC
Northwestern's Friday night matchup with North Carolina marks the 37th game Kelly Amonte Hiller has coached against an ACC foe since reviving the Wildcats program in 2002. The former ACC Female Athlete of the Year has posted a 28-8 record in those games, including a 12-1 mark in games played in Evanston. Northwestern finished 6-0 vs. the ACC in 2011 after vanquishing North Carolina in the national semifinals and then-No. 1 Maryland in the title game.
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