Northwestern University Athletics
NU Is In a New York State of Mind
4/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 30, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - It may seem like the women's lacrosse season just began, but the reality is that this weekend represents the close of regular season play around the country. That is the case with Northwestern, as well, as the Wildcats travel to New York State for the season-ending weekend.
The Wildcats (7-7), in just their second year back as a varsity program, are looking to finish at or above .500 with wins in their games against Colgate (Thursday at 6 p.m. ET) and No. 11 Syracuse (Saturday at 1 p.m. ET).
Certainly a .500 season would be a nice feather in the cap of this club as they continue their ascension toward the nation's elite, but head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said that the record was secondary in her book.
"To be honest with you, the important thing to me is not that we win or lose," she said. "The important thing is that we play well; if we do that, then you hope that the results will reflect that. If we finish at .500 that's good; if we finish above .500 that's great; but the key is for our team to stay focused throughout the games and play well."
Last weekend's game with Notre Dame was a reflection of so many other contests from this season. The Wildcats played level with the ranked Fighting Irish through the first half, but allowed them to pull away in the second half in taking the loss.
"I thought we played pretty well, especially in the first half" said Amonte Hiller. "However, it is frustrating to have lapses and be put in the position where you have to come back on a team.
"Just as other teams explode offensively, so we are trying to do that as well -- we are trying to become a team that can explode offensively and score in bunches at a time," she continued. "Angela McMahon did a good job of that at Notre Dame, scoring three times in the last minute; we need to build on that."
Thursday's game with Colgate features two unranked teams, but Amonte Hiller expects the game to be a fierce one.
"I expect them to be a gritty team; like us, they are pretty young," she said. "They are playing on their home field and it's the final weekend, so I expect them to be up for the game. They are like us, trying to end the season on an up note and use it as a building block toward next season."
On Saturday, the 'Cats head to the site of this year's NCAA Championship semifinal and final rounds -- Syracuse's Carrier Dome -- to face an Orangewomen team that is ranked 11th in the latest IWLCA poll.
"Syracuse will be a fast, tough team that loves to fast break," said Amonte Hiller, who played in high school for current Syracuse mentor Lisa Miller at Thayer Academy. "We are going to have to play very well in order to beat them."
The Syracuse game will mark the eighth ranked team NU has played in its last 11 games; coincidentally, the 'Cats are 2-7 in those contests after jumping out to a 5-0 start this season.
"I think our schedule was good for us this year," said Amonte Hiller. "This weekend will provide another good test."
As host of this year's women's lacrosse final four, Syracuse would certainly love the opportunity to be there playing. However, Northwestern is in a position to knock the Orange out of the field with a win. Again, Amonte Hiller professes not to be concerned.
"A win would certainly give us a lot of confidence, and that's more what I'm thinking about right now," she said. "It's not our position to worry about what a win for us would do to Syracuse's status for NCAA's."
