Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Meet Virginia Today in NCAA Quarterfinal
5/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
May 16, 2004
NU-Virginia Game Notes in PDF Format
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Northwestern women's lacrosse coach Kelly Amonte Hiller has never been accused of lacking confidence - and with good reason. As a player, she lost just three games in four years en route to two national titles at Maryland (in 1995 and 1996); at the international level, she was a central figure in two World Cup championship campaigns with the U.S. National Team.
These days, her confidence spills out as a coach over a third-year program that has grown by leaps and bounds in just the course of this season. The question, however, must be asked: could she have seen this day coming so quickly for the Northwestern women's lacrosse program? Could she have envisioned her youthful team - with just one departing senior (Angela McMahon) and five freshman starters - playing one of the premier lacrosse programs in the country for the opportunity to go to the Final Four?
NCAA Quarterfinal Game
Northwestern vs. #2 Virginia
Sunday, May 16, 2004 * 3 p.m. EDT (2 p.m. Central)
Klockner Stadium * Charlottesville, Va.
Long-time women's lacrosse fans may remember there is some history to Northwestern lacrosse. The Wildcats fielded a varsity program from 1982-92 and were considered one of the power programs during a pioneering time in the growth of the sport - in fact, they were headed most of those years by Cindy Timchal, who coached Amonte Hiller at Maryland and continues to lead the Terps. However, the school dropped lacrosse from varsity status in 1993 and kept ait at the club level around 2002. Upon its return to the varsity ranks, Northwestern had growth that was predictably incremental - 5-10 in its inaugural season with a 19-player roster that featured 15 freshmen, and then an 8-8 campaign last year as those freshmen turned to sophomores and were joined by another large class. In addition, NU posted back-to-back 2-4 ledgers in the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC).
So who could have seen this explosion? This season, Northwestern women's lacrosse boasts the second-best record in the country at 15-2 (including six wins over ranked teams) and only recently saw a 13-game winning streak broken. The 'Cats ranked sixth in the final IWLCA national poll, and won a share of the ALC title. The latest chapter in this fairy tale came Thursday when NU hosted an NCAA Tournament first-round game - who woulda thunk that in February? - and knocked off Notre Dame 10-8.
The key, says Amonte Hiller, has been NU's ability to keep its focus in the right place.
"All season long, our players have done a great job at focusing on the right things - having fun and getting better," she said. "This team has been an absolute joy to coach, and at times it is humbling to see the success they are having. It is definitely an exciting time for this program."
In a sport that can still be considered small - there are fewer than 80 programs nationally, mostly on the east coast, and the power programs seem to be the same year in and year out - NU is in a prime position today to make another bold statement. As one of just two teams still in the NCAA field that reside west of the Appalachians (the other being fellow ALC member Vanderbilt), Amonte Hiller is now focusing her coaching acumen toward the same goal she had as a player a decade ago - beating Virginia.
"The success of our team and Vanderbilt is great for the game," she said. "It shows how the sport in spreading. We see this weekend as another great opportunity for our program, and we are excited for this game."
TALE OF THE TAPE
Records: NU 15-2, Virginia 16-3
Scoring Offense: NU 13.19, Virginia 14.16
Scoring Defense: NU 7.55, Virginia 8.26
Scoring Margin: NU +5.64, Virginia +5.90
Free-Position Goals/Att.: NU 41/96, Virginia 39/103
Shots Per Game: NU 25.8, Virginia 29.4
Northwestern vs. Virginia: The Wildcats and the Cavaliers are meeting for the first time in the "modern" era of NU lacrosse; however, these teams met five times during the previous era, with UVA winning four of those games. Four of the five contests were decided by three goals or less.
The Fun Fact: NU head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller and assistant coach Alexis Venechanos, both former Maryland players, went 11-3 as Terps against Virginia. Amonte Hiller was 4-1 from 1993-96, while Venechanos - last year's National Goalkeeper of the Year - was 7-2 from 2000-03.
