Northwestern University Athletics
Unbeaten 'Cats Make Home Debut vs. Cal Friday
3/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 9, 2011
No. 2 Northwestern (5-0, 1-0 ALC) vs. California (3-2, 2-0 MPSF)
Friday, March 11
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill. • 3 p.m. CT
Gametracker:
Live Video Stream: NUSports.com All-Access
In-game Updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Tickets: Purchase Season Tickets Here! (Also available day of game)
Northwestern Weekly Release -- March 9 (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After winning five consecutive road games to start the 2011 season -- four of which came against opponents ranked in the top 11 -- No. 2 Northwestern takes to the turf at Lakeside Field for the first time at 3 p.m. Friday when it hosts California. NU has won 63 of its last 64 outings on its home pitch dating to May 13, 2004.
Fans unable to make it to Lakeside Field Friday afternoon have the option of watching live streaming video of the game on NUsports.com's All-Access video player or keeping up with Gametracker live stats. Twitter followers can also receive in-game updates against both the Golden Bears by following the username @NU_SportsLIVE. Links to all three platforms can be found at the top of this release.
Scouting the Golden Bears
2011: 3-2 overall, 1-1 on the road; Not ranked.
Last Three Games: W at Davidson (14-10); L at Longwood (8-6), W vs. St. Mary's (14-6)
Head Coach: Theresa Sherry (Princeton, 2004). Fourth season at Cal (28-32, .467)
Key Players: Tara Arolla (Jr., A): 13 goals, 3 assists, 7 draw controls; Megan Takacs (So, M): 11 goals, 4 assists, 2 game-winning goals; Tori Harrison (Jr., D): 16 ground balls, 7 caused turnovers; Allie Shropshire (Sr., GK): .426 save percentage, 15 ground balls, 10.36 GAA.
Series Information
California arrives in Evanston still looking for its first-ever win against Northwestern having dropped the first seven in the series, including a 17-3 Wildcats victory on Feb. 28 last year in Berkeley. Katrina Dowd led the way in that contest for NU with five goals while Shannon Smith chipped in four as the 'Cats won their 32nd consecutive game. The Golden Bears have yet to score in double digits against Northwestern and have lost each game by at least seven goals.
LoManto, Smith Nab American Lacrosse Conference Weekly Honors
No. 2 Northwestern finished off a season-opening five-game road trip with back-to-back blowout wins over Navy and No. 6 Georgetown, thanks largely to the performances of juniors Shannon Smith and Brianne LoManto, who earned conference honors as a result. Smith was named the ALC Offensive Player of the Week while LoManto was chosen as the ALC Defensive Player of the Week.
Smith was an all-around force in both contests, pacing the Wildcats' with a combined 19 points, while tacking on eight draw controls and seven ground balls. Against Navy, Smith recorded hat tricks in each half on her way to a season-high six goals, meaning she is now responsible for two of the six single-game double-digit scoring efforts in NU lacrosse history.
LoManto, meanwhile, managed to limit Georgetown to just four goals on nine free position opportunities while lowering her goals against average to 8.01. The award was the first of Smith's career, while LoManto earned the weekly award once last year.
NU Closes Season-Opening Road Swing in Style
Northwestern's offense continued to fire on all cylinders in the two games preceding its 2011 home-opener, winning by a combined score of 42-23 at Navy and No. 6 Georgetown last weekend. In beating the Midshipmen, NU head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller managed to top her former mentor at Maryland and the inaugural head coach of Northwestern lacrosse, legendary coach Cindy Timchal, who is now in her fourth season at the helm in Annapolis. The Wildcats carried that momentum over into its matchup with Georgetown, downing the host Hoyas in their season-opener behind five goals and five assists by Shannon Smith and three ach by Kara Mupo and Amanda Macaluso.
2011 Season Tickets On Sale Now
The Wildcats have seven home dates at beautiful Lakeside Field this spring, including four games against 2010 NCAA tournament teams and a pair of American Lacrosse Conference matches. Thanks to the support of Northwestern's passionate fan base, the Wildcats have led the nation in attendance for the past two seasons, averaging just under 1,000 fans per home game in 2010. Adult season tickets for the 2011 campaign are $40, with youth season tickets priced at $25 for fans 18 and younger. A Family Plan is also available for $80, which admits two adults and three children to all seven Northwestern home games. Season tickets can be purchased by contacting the Northwestern ticket office at 888-GO-PURPLE or clicking the ticket link at NUsports.com.
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