Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Ready For First Home Game of 2004
3/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 17, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern women's lacrosse team has had nearly two weeks to savor arguably its biggest win since the program was brought back as a varsity program -- a 9-6 win at Ohio State, the defending champion in the American Lacrosse Conference. Since then, the women have been buried by their books, in exams.
Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., the Wildcats host Colgate at the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex to being spring break. After playing two ranked teams -- in addition to the Buckeyes, NU lost to then-No. 4 Duke -- the 'Cats enter a stretch in which they play six straight games against unranked teams. In fact, only one of those six (Stanford) is even receiving votes in the latest IWLCA poll.
So what concerns NU head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller more -- the physical rust of being away from game action for two weeks, or the mental aspect of facing an opponent that, according to the prognosticators, the 14th-ranked 'Cats should handle?
"I think this is a critical game for us," she said, citing both issues. "This has been an exciting time for our players, because of the success and recognition we have gotten, plus the fact that we are finally playing at home.
"We have been focusing on the mental aspect, though," she continued. "I think the mental preparation is much bigger than the physical. It is a big part of the game, no matter who your opponent is."
Certainly Colgate is nothing to sneeze at, record-wise. The Raiders will arrive in Evanston with a 5-1 mark following Wednesday night's 13-4 win against Fairfield. Nevertheless, the polls do not lie -- Northwestern is in it, and Colgate is not. That puts the 'Cats in the unfamiliar position of being the acknowledged favorite. Are the women ready for it?
"I think it is a familiar situation for the coaches," said Amonte Hiller, who played on some powerhouse Maryland teams and whose assistants (Danielle Shearer and Alexis Venechanos) enjoyed similar success in recent years at Notre Dame and Maryland, respectively. "We have been making a conscious effort to get the players in the mode that they should be bringing the same level of preparation, both mentally and physically, to every game.
"I think a lot of people out there still are unsure about our team and especially our ranking," she said. "Our women want to go out and prove to everyone that they belong with the top programs in the country."
