Northwestern University Athletics
Top-Ranked NU Visits UMass For Spring Break Showdown
3/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 24, 2009
NU Lacrosse Weekly Release - March 24 
Nielsen Article in Lacrosse Magazine
Opening Draw
Northwestern breaks up a pair of three-game homestands with a spring break trip to Amherst, Mass., to face Massachusetts at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25.
Wildcats on the Web
Fans unable to make it to Amherst can still follow every Wildcat goal. Live streaming video of the game against the Minutewomen will be available at
UMassAthletics.com, as well as Gametracker live statistics.
Scouting the Minutewomen
Massachusetts is 3-5 on the year coming off a tough 13-10 loss at 13th-ranked New Hampshire on March 18. The Minutewomen are 2-0 at McGurik Stadium, including a 13-10 upset of 13th-ranked Dartmouth on March 4. Sophomore Jackie Lyons leads UMass in both goals (17) and assists (five) through the first eight games of 2009, including netting the game-winning goal in all three Minutewomen victories. Senior Holly Drown and sophomore Haley Smith have each netted 13 goals for UMass, with senior Meghan Reddy pumping in 10 in addition to winning a team-best 22 draw controls. Senior captain Jackie Rosenzweig has controlled the defensive backfield for the Minutewomen, scooping up nine ground balls and causing five turnovers on the year. Freshman goalkeeper Katie Florence has been instrumental in her first season, playing every minute while making 80 saves on the year for a .462 save percentage and allowing 11.62 goals per game. Head coach Alexis Venechanos, a former Wildcat assistant coach, is in her third season in Amherst with an overall record of 18-25 (.419). Former assistant Acacia Walker is also in her first season as an associate head coach at UMass.
Series Information
Wednesday's game marks the eighth overall meeting between Northwestern and Massachusetts with the Wildcats holding a 6-1 series advantage. The two schools first met back in 1983, and went head-to-head five times during the first era of Northwestern lacrosse. The `Cats and Minutewomen resumed the series in 2007, with NU taking an 18-4 decision in the inaugural Friends of Jaclyn Brain Tumor Awareness Challenge in Yorktown, N.Y., followed up with an 18-2 Wildcat victory in Evanston in 2008. Northwestern makes its first trip to Amherst since 1995, posting a 1-1 all-time record at UMass. The game also marks the first ever women's lacrosse night game at McGurik Stadium.
Nielsen Five Helpers Away From Becoming NCAA's All-Time Assist Leader
Hannah Nielsen continues to draw closer to becoming the all-time assist leader in NCAA history, as with the pair of assists in the victory over Syracuse, she upped her career total to 174 and is now only five helpers shy of surpassing fellow Australian Jen Adams as the all-time assist queen. Nielsen holds the single-game assist record with 10 against Duquesne on Feb. 17, is tied for the single-season assist record, dishing out 69 in 2007, and has amassed an impressive 165 since the beginning of her sophomore season. She is also a member of a very exclusive club as she is just the second Wildcat to notch 300 points in her career. Nielsen enters the week with 320 points, second only to Kristen Kjellman's 349.
Bowen Moves Into Fourth in NCAA Consecutive Goal Streak
Senior Hilary Bowen continues to establish her reputation as one of the top goal scorers in NCAA history. Bowen, the two-time NCAA Championship MVP and Wildcat single-season goal leader with 81, has registered at least one goal in 49 consecutive games surpassing Towson's Hillary Fratzke for the fourth-longest streak all-time. She has proven to be one of the top offensive threats in the country during that time, notching at least two goals in 43 of the 49 outings, including tying a career-best with six goals against both Notre Dame and Rutgers earlier this season. In addition, both Bowen and teammate Hannah Nielsen have each tallied at least one point in 53-straight games.
Wildcats One Victory Away From 200
With the 19-8 victory over Syracuse Sunday, the Northwestern lacrosse program inched closer to an impressive milestone. Since beginning competition in 1982, the Wildcats have compiled an overall program record of 199-82 (.708) and stand just one win shy of the program's 200th victory. Northwestern went 79-58 between the years of 1982 and 1992, and are 120-24 under head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller since the program regained varsity status in 2002.
Looking Ahead
Northwestern gets a little time off before returning to Evanston for another three game homestand, beginning with a showdown with fourth-ranked Duke on Friday, April 3. The game marks this season's Chipotle Big Game, as the Blue Devils were one of the other Final Four teams in 2008. The Wildcats then welcome California to Lakeside Field on Sunday, April 5.
For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.
