Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
10-0, 2-0ALC
Vanderbilt
7-4, 1-1ALC
| Team | 1 | 2 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Northwestern | 5 | 9 | 14 |
Frank's Five Goals Leads Wildcats Past Vanderbilt 14-8
3/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 30, 2008
Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior Meredith Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) scored a season-high five goals while junior Hilary Bowen (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) added three goals and an assist of her own to lead Northwestern past 18th-ranked Vanderbilt 14-8. The win not only tied an NU record at 31 consecutive victories, it was the 100th of head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller's career, as the `Cats improve to 10-0 on the season.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early 4-1 lead midway through the first half, thanks to three goals from Frank and another from Bowen. But Vanderbilt (7-4, 1-1 ALC) closed the gap to one with a pair late in the first half. Junior Hannah Nielsen (Adelaide, Australia/Brighton Secondary) would give Northwestern a two-goal cushion at 5-3, and it appeared that would be the count at the half. But a Commodore goal from Carter Foote trimmed the Wildcat lead to 5-4 at intermission.
Both teams came out explosive in the second half, as sophomore Katrina Dowd (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) found the back of the net just 15 seconds into the second half, only to have it answered by Foote's third goal of the game 35 seconds later. The two teams traded goals over the next eight minutes, until the `Cats began to pull away midway through the second half. Goals by Frank, Bowen, and Dowd gave Northwestern an 11-7 lead with just under ten minutes remaining.
Vanderbilt staged one last attempt at a comeback, as a goal from Leslie Koch trimmed the NU lead to 11-8 with just over seven minutes remaining. But the Wildcats were not about to go down on its homefield, as Dowd, sophomore Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) and Nielsen sealed the win for Northwestern. The Wildcats controlled the tempo of the second half, outshooting the Commodores 23-5, and also held a 14-5 ground ball edge.
Following the game, the Wildcat players donned black jerseys with the initials "KAH" with the number 100 on the back in tribute to Amonte Hiller's 100th career victory. The seventh-year head coach now boasts an overall record of 100-23 (.813).
Commodore goalkeeper Brooke Shinaberry had an incredible day in net for Vandy, making 13 saves and picking up six ground balls. Wildcat goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop (Briarcliff, N.Y./The Hackley School) made three big saves as well and improved to 10-0 on the season. Nielsen picked up a pair of goals and an assist on the afternoon and is tied with Bowen for the team lead in points at 48.
Northwestern improves to 2-0 in American Lacrosse Conference play and has now won 19 consecutive conference games. The Wildcats extend their home winning streak to 36 games and their overall winning streak to 31, which ties the program's all-time record which lasted from February 2005 to April 2006.
Up next for the Wildcats is perhaps their toughest road trip of the season as Northwestern travels to face fifth-ranked Duke in Durham, N.C., Sunday, April 6, where NU is 0-2 all-time at Koskinen Stadium. Opening draw is set for 12 p.m.
