Northwestern Lacrosse Prepped and Ready for 2015 Campaign

2/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse

Feb. 4, 2015

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The 2015 season is just days away and the Northwestern Lacrosse program has been making strides through the preseason to prepare for a run at its eighth national title in program history.

The Wildcats, ranked No. 5 in the IWLCA preseason poll, wrapped up a decade of dominance last season with their 10th-straight appearance in the NCAA semifinals. NU claimed seven national titles during the 10-year stretch and lost to the eventual national champion in each of the three seasons it did not take home the title.

Entering her 14th season at the helm of the `Cats, five-time IWLCA National Coach of the year Kelly Amonte Hiller (229-40 career record) has spent the preseason meshing a mix of veteran and new talent as she welcomed the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the nation.

"The preseason has went really well," Amonte Hiller said. "The girls have been working really hard and they've been focused. You can never really judge your preseason until you get out there and play your competition. We'll see on Saturday where we're at and take it from there."

For fans looking to get to know this year's edition of the Wildcats, check out a position group preview below:

Attack:

Fifth-year senior and returning goal scorer Kara Mupo will undoubtedly look to lead the attack for Kelly Amonte Hiller in 2015. Mupo was named a preseason second-team All-American thanks to her 40-goal and 50-point campaign a season ago.

"Kara has been through a lot in terms of the experiences she has had with this program," Amonte Hiller said. "Those experiences have prepared her for this moment and she is doing a really nice job meshing with the younger players and the players that have come back. She has really provided a great amount of leadership for this team early on."

The return of juniors Kaleigh Craig and Christina Esposito, both of whom were lost to injury last season, should help spark an offense that lost over half of its goal scoring to graduation.

Craig was a second-team All-ALC honoree last season despite missing the final eight games of the season. She was the leading goal scorer for the `Cats with 27 goals at the time of her injury. Esposito was limited to just five games last season, scoring four goals in the process, but has shown explosive offensive ability by scoring 11 goals in just 13 career games.

"It was obviously tough to lose them [Kaleigh and Christina] last year," Amonte Hiller said. " They are great players that have a great energy about them. Not only are they going to raise the level with their talent, but they also bring an excellent vibe to the team."

Rising senior Jess Carroll should also find herself in the mix offensively after scoring nine of her 10 goals over the final 10 games of the season in 2014.

Defense:

The Wildcats ranked in the top 20 in scoring defense last year, but gone are the likes of Kerri Harrington, Christy Turner, Kate Macdonald and Kate Ivory. The good news is Kelly Amonte Hiller will return third-year starting goalkeeper Bridget Bianco to anchor the NU defense, as well as senior Haydyn Anigian, who led the team with 17 caused turnovers a year ago.

"She [Bridget Bianco] has done an excellent job this preseason," Amonte Hiller said. "Both our goalies are really competing and playing great. We are excited about their leadership and our defensive unit as well."

Junior defensive midfielder Spring Sanders finished second on the team with 16 caused turnovers last season and will be key on the defensive side of the field. The `Cats also return junior Emily Eichner, a reserve defender from last season that appeared in 15 games and made a pair of starts.

Midfield:

One of the first things fans often learn when watching Northwestern lacrosse is that just about any player could find themselves in any position, and the NU midfield traditionally features a fluid corps of contributors. Among the leaders in the midfield this season will be juniors Lauren Murray and Nancy Dunbar, as well as sophomore Sheila Nesselbush.

Murray started 14 games last season and was Alyssa Leonard's primary backup in the draw circle. She could be the front-runner to take over those duties this season and will undoubtedly provide veteran leadership along the way. Nesselbush started all 21 games as a true freshman a season ago and was third on the team with 26 ground balls.

Freshmen:

Coach Amonte Hiller brought in a group of 14 talented freshmen that garnered the No. 1 rating as a class according to Inside Lacosse. The class features five players that were rated in the top 20 nationally, including Selena Lasota (No. 3), Shelby Fredericks (No. 4), Emily Stein (No. 13), Olivia Harpel (No. 15) and Corinne Wessels (No. 17) , each of whom earned Under Armor All-American honors.

The `Cats also welcome speedster Shannon Nesselbush, Lyndsey Lafitte and Ally Mueller to the defense, while Lindsay Darrell, Tara Chelios and Jamison O'Neill will join the midfield.

Nicole Beardsley, a prolific scorer from Burnt Hills, N.Y., whom set a school record with 288 goals at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake joins the attack with Iona Dryden (Winchester, England) and Haley Ciklin. Dryden was the youngest member of the 2012 senior Wales team that won a silver medal at the European Championships and has represented Wales in international play for seven seasons.

The Wildcats open the regular season this Saturday in Los Angeles, Calif., where they will take on USC in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum at 5 p.m. CT. A complete preview of the game will be released later this week.

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