Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Opens Home Schedule Hosting Hofstra, Rutgers
3/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 11, 2009
Northwestern Lacrosse Weekly Release - March 11 
Opening Draw
After a half dozen games on the road to begin the 2009 season, Northwestern finally takes to the turf at Lakeside Field this week, hosting Hofstra on Thursday, March 12, at 6 p.m. The Wildcats then welcome Rutgers to Evanston on Saturday, March 14, at 1 p.m.
Scouting the Pride
Hofstra is 3-1 on the season, coming off a tough 13-10 loss to 16th-ranked Cornell on Saturday after opening up the year with victories over Iona, Connecticut and Brown. Junior Corrine Gandolfi, a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection in 2008, has carried the Pride offensively, leading the team in points (22), goals (14) and assists (eight), and leads the team with 12 draw controls. Junior K'Leigh Vanaman has added eight goals on the year, while sophomore Stephanie Rice has netted seven. Senior defender Alysse Ruszkowski leads the Hofstra backfield, causing 12 turnovers on the year while scooping up a team-high 11 ground balls. Junior goalkeeper Mary Cuddihy has notched 21 saves on the year, posting a .457 save percentage and an 8.59 goals against average. Head coach Abby Morgan, a former standout at Connecticut, has posted a 22-17 record in her third season in Hempstead.
Scouting the Scarlet Knights
Rutgers is off to a 2-2 start on the season and is coming off a 7-6 victory over Delaware in Piscataway Saturday. The Scarlet Knights gave seventh-ranked Princeton all it could handle before falling to the Tigers 9-8 on Wednesday. Junior Brooke Cantwell has been the early offensive spark for Rutgers, notching 10 goals and adding an assist, with freshman Annie McGinley adding eight goals and a pair of assists. Junior Meghan Flanagan, who set a new personal-best with 23 assists in 2008, has started right where she left off, dishing out 10 helpers already in 2009. The junior duo of Karie McGuire and Emily Penn has lead a tough defensive unit which has allowed just 7.4 goals per game. Laura Brand is in her seventh year at the helm of the Scarlet Knights with a 53-48 record and is 63-55 in eight years as a head coach.
Series Information
Northwestern and Hofstra get together for the fourth time Thursday, with the Wildcats winning the previous three meetings. NU took a 22-4 decision on Long Island in 2008, thanks to six goals from Danielle Spencer. The `Cats are 1-0 all-time against the Pride in Evanston, winning 16-4 in 2007. After the initial meeting in 1988, Northwestern and Rutgers have met every year since 2004, with NU holding a 6-0 series advantage after a 21-4 win in Piscataway last season. The Scarlet Knights are making their third trip to Evanston, with the Wildcats taking a 10-5 decision in 2005 and notching a 15-4 victory in 2007.
Wildcat Season Tickets On Sale Now
Don't miss a single goal at Lakeside Field this year as Northwestern continues its' pursuit for a fifth-straight national championship. Season tickets for the Wildcats are on sale until the first home game, with adult season tickets costing $35, and youth tickets (18 and under) are only $20. Family plans are also available for $70. The `Cats have a great home schedule in 2009, welcoming Syracuse, Duke and Penn (last year's other Final Four teams) to Evanston, as well as ALC conference rivals Ohio State and Penn State. Tickets forms are available online on the lacrosse homepage at NUsports.com, or by calling the Northwestern ticket office at 847-491-CATS.
Home Sweet Home
Northwestern not only opens up the home portion of its 2009 schedule this week, it also looks to improve upon history. The Wildcats have won 44 consecutive games in Evanston, surpassing the 41-game home winning streak Maryland compiled from 1997-2001. The last time NU fell at home was a 10-9 overtime loss to Vanderbilt on May 6, 2004. Nine of those games were NCAA tournament games, with the `Cats boasting a perfect 9-0 postseason home record.
Best Against the Best
The old cliché says that in order to be the best, you have to beat the best, which is a challenge Northwestern has met head-on. Since the program was reinstated in 2002, the Wildcats have compiled a 65-18 (.783) record against ranked opponents, including a 31-7 mark at home. But NU's record against the top-10 is even more impressive as the `Cats are 35-8 (.814) since Kelly Amonte Hiller took the reigns of the program, including an 18-3 record at Lakeside Field.
Looking Ahead
One of the most anticipated match-ups of the season looms on the horizon for the Wildcats, who welcome sixth-ranked Syracuse to Lakeside Field on Sunday, March 22. The `Cats and Orange met twice last season, with Northwestern using a 14-1 run in the second half to take a 19-7 victory at the Carrier Dome in the regular season, then put together another strong second half to defeat the `Cuse 16-8 in the NCAA semifinal in Towson, Md. Opening draw against the Orange is set for 1 p.m.
For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.
