Northwestern University Athletics
Sunday, May 17
College Park, Md.
11:00 AM
Northwestern
at
Maryland
Photo by: Stephen Carrera
Road to Philly: 'Cats and Terps to Battle in NCAA Quarterfinals
5/17/2015 12:51:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
The Wildcats and Terrapins have combined for nine of the last 10 national titles
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The nation's top two programs will square off in the NCAA Quarterfinal this weekend when the No. 8-seed Northwestern Lacrosse program travels to No. 1-seed Maryland this Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
The Wildcats and Terrapins have combined to win nine of the last 10 national championships and 16 of the last 20. The Wildcats won 7-of-8 from 2005-12, while the Terrapins have won two of the last three. The now Big Ten rivals have split four previous meetings in the NCAA Tournament, all of which came during championship weekend.
The game will air on the Big Ten Network with Joe Beninati and Courtney Connor prodiving the play-by-play and color commentary.
Add It To The Shelf
After both being named to the inaugural All-Big Ten Team, freshman attacker Selena Lasota and sophomore midfielder added to their collection of postseason honors Monday as they were named to the IWLCA West Region squad. The Wildcats' offensive leader, Lasota garnered first-team honors, while Nesselbush, the team's most consistent player from end to end, was a second-team selection.
So They Meet Again
The No. 8-seeded Wildcats and top-seeded Terrapins have made a habit of meeting in the NCAA Tournament the last six years, particularly on championship weekend. This Sunday's quarterfinal matchup will be the first meeting in the NCAA Tournament between the two squads outside of championship weekend and the fifth in the last six years. Northwestern and Maryland have split their four meetings in postseason play, including a pair in the national championship. The Terrapins hold a 9-6 edge in the all-time series following a 16-5 victory over the Wildcats in the regular season.
`Cats Run Past Irish Into Quarterfinals
It came as no surprise that the Wildcats won the opening two games of the NCAA Tournament at Lakeside Field last weekend over Louisville and Notre Dame. The `Cats are now a perfect 22-0 at home in NCAA Tournament play under head coach Kelly Amonte Hillerand have outscored their opponents 330 to 163 after dominating Notre Dame in the second round, 16-11. Freshman Selena Lasota has continued to lead the way in the postseason thus far, recording five points in each of the first two games. Junior Kaleigh Craig also put together a shining performance, scoring seven goals; including a career-high five against Notre Dame.
Craig is Cruisin'
Junior attacker Kaleigh Craig has proven to be one of the most dangerous scorers in the country this season, particularly over the last 12 games. The Long Island native has scored 34 goals over the last 12 games (2.83/gm) and scored a career-high five goals in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Notre Dame, bringing her season total to 45. She has scored at least two goals in each of the last 12 games and a total of 16 times this season, while failing to record a point in just two games in her junior campaign.
Among the Nation's Best
Freshman Selena Lasota burst onto the college lacrosse scene right away and has yet to disappoint in quickly becoming one of the top players in the country. Lasota was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, earned a spot on the inaugural All-Big Ten Team, garnered IWLCA West Region First-Team honors and has been named the Inside Lacrosse National Rookie of the Week three times this season. She enters the NCAA Quarterfinals ranked fifth in the country in goals (67), eighth in goals per game (3.35), 18th in points (76) and 28th in points per game (3.8). Her 67 goals this season are the ninth best single-season mark in program history, while her 23 caused turnovers are just five shy of cracking the top 10 in a single season in that category as well.
"Win the Draw, Rule the World"
Having to replace the all-time NCAA leader in draw controls is no easy task. After losing the draw control battle in seven of the first 11 games of the season, the Wildcats appear to have righted the ship over the last nine games. The `Cats have out drawn their opponents in each of the last nine games, averaging 15 draw controls per game while limiting their opponents to just 8.9 during the stretch. Much of the improvement can be credited to the maturation of freshman Shelby Fredericks. After averaging just 2.7 draw control in the first 11 games of the season, Fredericks has averaged 4.0 draws per game in the last nine. Classmates Lindsay Darrell (1.2 to 2.4) and Selena Lasota(0.6 to 1.4) have also doubled their draw controls per game over the same stretch.
The Feeder
Freshman Corinne Wessels, the all-time high school leader in assists, has transitioned her feeding skills to the college game nicely in her first season with the Wildcats. After missing the first four games of the season to injury, Wessels had seven assists in her first two games against North Carolina and Colorado but was held without an assist in the five games to follow. She has had at least one assist in eight of the last nine games, including four games with at least two. Wessels leads the team and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 20 assists and is fourth on the team with 31 points.
Scouting the Terrapins
Top-seeded Maryland enters Sunday's contest with an 19-1 record as its lone loss came in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals to Ohio State. The Terrapins advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 19-8 victory over UMass in the second round. Reigning Tewaaraton Award winner and 2015 finalist Taylor Cummings leads the Terps in assists (30), points (86), draw controls (130), ground balls (40) and caused turnovers (33). Freshman Megan Whittle is the team leader in goals with 63 and senior goalkeeper Alex Fitzpatrick backs the defense with a 7.03 goals against average and .463 save percentage in 981:53 of play.
The Wildcats and Terrapins have combined to win nine of the last 10 national championships and 16 of the last 20. The Wildcats won 7-of-8 from 2005-12, while the Terrapins have won two of the last three. The now Big Ten rivals have split four previous meetings in the NCAA Tournament, all of which came during championship weekend.
The game will air on the Big Ten Network with Joe Beninati and Courtney Connor prodiving the play-by-play and color commentary.
Add It To The Shelf
After both being named to the inaugural All-Big Ten Team, freshman attacker Selena Lasota and sophomore midfielder added to their collection of postseason honors Monday as they were named to the IWLCA West Region squad. The Wildcats' offensive leader, Lasota garnered first-team honors, while Nesselbush, the team's most consistent player from end to end, was a second-team selection.
So They Meet Again
The No. 8-seeded Wildcats and top-seeded Terrapins have made a habit of meeting in the NCAA Tournament the last six years, particularly on championship weekend. This Sunday's quarterfinal matchup will be the first meeting in the NCAA Tournament between the two squads outside of championship weekend and the fifth in the last six years. Northwestern and Maryland have split their four meetings in postseason play, including a pair in the national championship. The Terrapins hold a 9-6 edge in the all-time series following a 16-5 victory over the Wildcats in the regular season.
`Cats Run Past Irish Into Quarterfinals
It came as no surprise that the Wildcats won the opening two games of the NCAA Tournament at Lakeside Field last weekend over Louisville and Notre Dame. The `Cats are now a perfect 22-0 at home in NCAA Tournament play under head coach Kelly Amonte Hillerand have outscored their opponents 330 to 163 after dominating Notre Dame in the second round, 16-11. Freshman Selena Lasota has continued to lead the way in the postseason thus far, recording five points in each of the first two games. Junior Kaleigh Craig also put together a shining performance, scoring seven goals; including a career-high five against Notre Dame.
Craig is Cruisin'
Junior attacker Kaleigh Craig has proven to be one of the most dangerous scorers in the country this season, particularly over the last 12 games. The Long Island native has scored 34 goals over the last 12 games (2.83/gm) and scored a career-high five goals in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Notre Dame, bringing her season total to 45. She has scored at least two goals in each of the last 12 games and a total of 16 times this season, while failing to record a point in just two games in her junior campaign.
Among the Nation's Best
Freshman Selena Lasota burst onto the college lacrosse scene right away and has yet to disappoint in quickly becoming one of the top players in the country. Lasota was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, earned a spot on the inaugural All-Big Ten Team, garnered IWLCA West Region First-Team honors and has been named the Inside Lacrosse National Rookie of the Week three times this season. She enters the NCAA Quarterfinals ranked fifth in the country in goals (67), eighth in goals per game (3.35), 18th in points (76) and 28th in points per game (3.8). Her 67 goals this season are the ninth best single-season mark in program history, while her 23 caused turnovers are just five shy of cracking the top 10 in a single season in that category as well.
"Win the Draw, Rule the World"
Having to replace the all-time NCAA leader in draw controls is no easy task. After losing the draw control battle in seven of the first 11 games of the season, the Wildcats appear to have righted the ship over the last nine games. The `Cats have out drawn their opponents in each of the last nine games, averaging 15 draw controls per game while limiting their opponents to just 8.9 during the stretch. Much of the improvement can be credited to the maturation of freshman Shelby Fredericks. After averaging just 2.7 draw control in the first 11 games of the season, Fredericks has averaged 4.0 draws per game in the last nine. Classmates Lindsay Darrell (1.2 to 2.4) and Selena Lasota(0.6 to 1.4) have also doubled their draw controls per game over the same stretch.
The Feeder
Freshman Corinne Wessels, the all-time high school leader in assists, has transitioned her feeding skills to the college game nicely in her first season with the Wildcats. After missing the first four games of the season to injury, Wessels had seven assists in her first two games against North Carolina and Colorado but was held without an assist in the five games to follow. She has had at least one assist in eight of the last nine games, including four games with at least two. Wessels leads the team and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 20 assists and is fourth on the team with 31 points.
Scouting the Terrapins
Top-seeded Maryland enters Sunday's contest with an 19-1 record as its lone loss came in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals to Ohio State. The Terrapins advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 19-8 victory over UMass in the second round. Reigning Tewaaraton Award winner and 2015 finalist Taylor Cummings leads the Terps in assists (30), points (86), draw controls (130), ground balls (40) and caused turnovers (33). Freshman Megan Whittle is the team leader in goals with 63 and senior goalkeeper Alex Fitzpatrick backs the defense with a 7.03 goals against average and .463 save percentage in 981:53 of play.
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
A/M
/ Women's Lacrosse
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's LacrosseLacrosse - NCAA Tournament 2nd Round vs JMU Postgame Press Conference (5/10/26)
Sunday, May 10
Lacrosse – Northwestern Tops James Madison 17-5 In NCAA Tournament Second Round Clash (5/10/26)
Sunday, May 10
Lacrosse - Kelly Amonte Hiller Recaps Big Ten Tournament Championship (4/27/26)
Monday, April 27
Lacrosse - Lake Show Wins 4th Straight Big Ten Title, 8-7 over Maryland (04/26/2026)
Sunday, April 26
