Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Continues Home Stand Hosting No. 4 Virginia Friday
4/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 28, 2010
No. 2 Northwestern (13-1) vs. No. 4 Virginia (13-4)
Friday, April 30
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill. • 7 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network (tape delayed at 10 p.m. CT Friday night)
Audio: WNUR 89.3 FM
Gametracker:
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
Opening Draw
Northwestern continues its season-ending five-game home stand, matching up against its 10th ranked opponent of the year when it welcomes fourth-ranked Virginia to Lakeside Field for a 7 p.m. opening draw Friday, April 30.
Wildcats on the Big Ten Network
Northwestern's final two home games will be showcased to a national television audience as both will get air time on the Big Ten Network. Friday's game against Virginia will be broadcast tape-delayed until 10 p.m. Friday night. The game will also be rebroadcast at 7:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Saturday, May 1 and again at 5 p.m. CT Monday, May 3. WNUR will also broadcast the game against the Cavaliers live at 89.3 FM and online at Sports.WNUR.org. live stats will be available as will in-game Twitter updates @NU_SportsLIVE.
Scouting the Cavaliers
Fourth-ranked Virginia heads to Evanston with a 13-4 record on the year after falling to top-ranked Maryland 10-6 in last weekend's ACC Championship. The senior tandem of Kaitlin Duff and Brittany Kalkstein have paced the Cavalier attack as Duff has registered a team-best 55 points (35G, 20A) on the year, just ahead of Kalkstein's 54 points (36G, 18A). Kalkstein has been the Cavaliers' top draw control threat, ranking second nationally by averaging 5.12 per game, while adding 31 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers, with Duff adding 38 ground balls, 20 draws and a team-best 26 caused turnovers. Four other players have notched at least 20 goals for Virginia, including 28 from Caity Whiteley and 27 off the stick of Charlie Finnigan. Josie Owen has been solid on attack for the Cavaliers with 24 goals and 20 assists while recording 24 ground balls, 32 draw controls and 14 caused turnovers. Defensively, Annie Taylor and Liz Downs have combined for 47 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers for Virginia while goalkeeper Lauren Benner has stopped 99 shots with a .465 save percentage and an 8.43 goals against average. Head coach Julie Meyers is in her 14th season in Charlottesville with an overall record of 224-72 (.757).
Series Information
Northwestern and Virginia meet for the 10th time Friday night with the Cavaliers holding a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series. The Wildcats have won the last three, however, defeating Virginia in both the 2005 and 2007 NCAA championship games and taking a thrilling 11-10 victory in Charlottesville last season. This will be the first time, however, that Virginia makes the trek to Evanston.
Spencer Named ALC Offensive Player of the Week
After setting a personal-best with eight goals against eighth-ranked Vanderbilt Saturday, including seven in the first half, Danielle Spencer has been named the American Lacrosse Conference Offensive Player of the Week. It is the first weekly honor of Spencer's career as she becomes the sixth different Wildcat to garner conference honors. Spencer played a vital role in Northwestern's 27-9 victory over Vanderbilt Saturday night, which clinched the regular season conference title for the Wildcats and the top overall seed in next weekend's ALC Championship. Her eight goals is tied for the second-most in a single-game in program history as she also added an assist to finish with nine points on the night. Spencer also notched a team-best six draw controls as Northwestern won its 33rd-straight conference game.
Amonte Hiller vs. The ACC
Kelly Amonte Hiller, a former ACC All-American at Maryland, has been able to continue the success against her former conference she started in her playing days. Since taking over the reins of the Northwestern lacrosse program in 2002, the Wildcats have played 24 games against Atlantic Coast opponents, posting an 18-6 record in the past eight seasons including an 8-1 mark in Evanston.
Looking Ahead
Northwestern closes out the 2010 regular season when it hosts American Lacrosse Conference opponent Florida at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 2. The game against the Gators marks Senior Day for the Northwestern class of 2010, with attackers Katrina Dowd and Danielle Spencer, midfielder Kim Pantages and defenders Maggie Bremer and Sara Harrington honored prior to the opening draw.
For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.
********************
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats! -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter and become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! Get the latest news, schedule updates, video and interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!
