Northwestern University Athletics
Back Again: Wildcats Seek Fourth-Straight Title at NCAA Championship
5/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
May 20, 2008
Northwestern Lacrosse Postseason Guide (PDF) 
Media Day Video
Opening Draw
Northwestern (19-1) returns to the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship semifinals for the fourth-straight season. The Wildcats will get a much-anticipated rematch with fifth-seeded Syracuse (18-2) at 5 p.m. CT Friday, May 23, at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md. The winner of that game will advance to the championship game at 6 p.m. CT Sunday, May 25, to face either Penn or Duke. Both the semifinal and championship games will be aired live on CBS College Sports Network.
'Cats Remain Hot in May
May is arguably Northwestern's favorite month of the season as the Wildcats improved to 15-1 (.938) under head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller in the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship with the 18-11 quarterfinal victory over Princeton on May 17, including 14 consecutive wins in the tournament. In addition, the 'Cats improved to 9-0 in home tournament contests under Amonte Hiller.
Scouting Syracuse
Fourth-ranked Syracuse (18-2) advanced to its first-ever NCAA semifinals by holding off North Carolina 13-11 at the Carrier Dome May 17. Trailing 10-9 with just under 10 minutes remaining, the Orange would go on a 4-1 run to seal the victory. Junior Katie Rowan again paced Syracuse with a pair of goals and four assists while sophomore Christina Dove added three goals and a pair of assists. Rowan leads the nation in points (142) and assists (69), tying Hannah Nielsen's single-single NCAA assist record, while Dove leads the team in goals (74) and has tallied 96 points on the year. Sophomore Halley Quillinan (62g), junior Megan Mosenson (40g) and senior Kristin Brady (40g) are also part of the 40-goal club. Freshman goalkeeper Liz Hogan has been solid in net all season for the Orange, registering 157 saves for a .505 save percentage and a 7.75 goals against average. The regular season and Big East tournament champions, Syracuse is one of the hottest teams in the nation, having won 11 straight since the 19-7 loss to Northwestern on March 24. Head coach Gary Gait is finishing his first season at the helm of the Orange with an overall record of 18-2 (.900).
Series Information
Northwestern and Syracuse will meet for sixth time with the Wildcats holding a 4-1 series advantage, including a 19-7 victory over the Orange at the Carrier Dome on March 24. Rochester natives Hilary Bowen and Danielle Spencer made the most of their New York homecoming, netting four goals each as the Wildcats broke open a 5-4 halftime lead by outscoring Syracuse 14-3 in the second half. This will be the fourth time the two schools have faced each other in the past two seasons, with Northwestern earning a 10-7 victory during the regular season and a 14-9 win in the NCAA quarterfinals in 2007.
Friends of Jaclyn
Despite the national championships and on-field successes the Wildcats have accumulated over the past few seasons, perhaps the most rewarding aspect of the three-straight title run has occurred off the field. Northwestern's involvement with 13-year old Jaclyn Murphy has been well documented, most recently in a 13 minute feature by the Big Ten Network. The piece, which originally aired on Big Ten Tonight Monday, May 19, is available to view at their website. Earlier this season, the Wildcats hosted Georgetown in the second annual Friends of Jaclyn Brain Tumor Awareness College Lax Challenge, won by NU 7-6. The event generated over $30,000 for the foundation, used to help fund cancer research as well as improving the lives of those children afflicted with brain tumors.
