Wildcats Head To Penn State Pursuing Sixth-Straight ALC Title

4/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse

April 29, 2009

Northwestern Lacrosse Weekly Release - April 29

Opening Draw
Northwestern heads to University Park, Pa., for the 2009 American Lacrosse Conference Championship this weekend. The Wildcats, who are seeking their sixth-straight ALC title, are the top overall seed and will face Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. Central Friday, May 1.

Wildcats On The Web
Fans unable to make it to Penn State for the ALC Championship can still follow every Wildcat goal. Live streaming video and live stats of every game of the tournament will be available through the ALC Championship Central link at GoPSUsports.com. A link to Championship Central will also be posted on NUsports.com.

ALC Championship Preview
This year's American Lacrosse Conference Championship will be held at Jeffrey Field on the campus of Penn State University. This is the third year of the tournament, with a schedule identical to previous years. The Championship gets underway Thursday, April 30, when fourth-seeded Vanderbilt meets fifth-seeded Johns Hopkins at 2 p.m. Central. The winner of that quarterfinal game will face the top-seeded Wildcats at 2 p.m. Friday, May 1, in the first semifinal, with second-seeded Penn State hosting third-seeded Ohio State in the second semifinal. The championship game is set for 1 p.m. Central on Saturday, May 2. Penn State, Ohio State and Vanderbilt all tied for second with 2-2 conference records, but the Nittany Lions clinched the second seed by allowing the fewest goals in conference games among the three schools. That left the Buckeyes and Commodores to battle for the third seed and the first round bye, which was won by OSU thanks to a 15-13 victory over Vandy in the regular season.

2009 American Lacrosse Conference Championship at Penn State
Conference quarterfinal: #4 Vanderbilt vs. #5 Johns Hopkins - Thursday, April 30 - 2 p.m.
Conference semifinal: #1 Northwestern vs. #4/#5 winner - Friday, May 1 - 2 p.m.
Conference semifinal: #2 Penn State vs. #3 Ohio State - Friday, May 1 - 4:30 p.m.
Conference championship: Semifinal winners - Saturday, May 2 - 1 p.m.

Scouting the Conference
Northwestern posted its fifth-straight undefeated season in American Lacrosse Conference play, going 4-0. The Wildcats opened up its ALC schedule with a 22-10 victory at No. 12 Vanderbilt on Feb. 27, behind five goals each from Hilary Bowen, Hannah Nielsen and Danielle Spencer. NU returned home to face No. 17 Penn State on April 12, rallying from an early 3-0 deficit to take a 17-6 decision over the Nittany Lions. Spencer again had a huge game for the Wildcats, as both she and Katrina Dowd netted four goals in the victory. The `Cats then pounced quickly on Johns Hopkins, jumping out to a 7-0 halftime lead and cruising to a 16-7 victory in Baltimore on April 17. Dowd led the way with a career-best five goals while Meredith Frank added four and Nielsen netted three goals while adding five assists. NU clinched the regular season title and the top seed in the tournament with an 18-10 victory over No. 13 Ohio State on April 22 at Lakeside Field. Tied 7-7 at halftime, the `Cats outscored the Buckeyes 11-3 in the second to seal the win, with Spencer netting five goals on the afternoon. Dowd and Shannon Smith each added four goals apiece in the victory, with Dowd and Nielsen also dishing out three assists each. The 4-0 record for the Wildcats marks the fifth-straight time they have gone undefeated in conference play, and NU has won 27 consecutive ALC contests dating back to the 2004 season.

Amonte Hiller, Nielsen, Lathrop Capture ALC Yearly Honors
Hannah Nielsen continues to add accolades to her resumé as the senior was named the American Lacrosse Conference Player of the Year for the second time as selected by the conference's head coaches. Nielsen, who also won the award in 2008, becomes the fifth-straight Wildcat to take home the conference honor, as Kristen Kjellman was a three-time Player of the Year (2005-07). She is joined by head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller as the ALC Coach of the Year and teammate Morgan Lathrop as the ALC Goalkeeper of the Year. Both Nielsen and Lathrop earned first-team All-ALC honors, along with Hilary Bowen, Katrina Dowd and Danielle Spencer. Maggie Bremer, Alexandra Frank, Meredith Frank and Kristin McCandlish each earned second-team All-ALC honors.

Nielsen Becomes First Player In Division I History To Eclipse 200 Assists
Hannah Nielsen, who has already cemented her legacy as one of the top players in NCAA history, further solidified her status as the sport's all-time assist queen Saturday. Nielsen, who recently became the NCAA's all-time assist leader, fed Shannon Smith who netted a pivotal goal with 14 seconds remaining in the first half against Penn to become the first player in NCAA Division I history to reach 200 career assists. Nielsen, who leads the nation with 60 helpers on the year, is the NCAA's single-game assist leader, dishing out 10 at Duquesne on Feb. 17, and is tied for the single-season record with 69 in 2007.

Looking Ahead
Following the American Lacrosse Conference Championship, Northwestern will begin its quest for a fifth-straight national championship as the 2009 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship gets underway. The Wildcats, who are all but assured of a top-four seed, will find out who their first round opponent is during the 2009 NCAA Lacrosse Selection Special at 9 p.m. Sunday, May 3, on CBS College Sports. Should Northwestern be selected to host a first round tournament contest, that game will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 10, at Lakeside Field.

For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.