No. 8 Wildcats Open Big Ten Play at No. 1 Maryland on BTN

3/30/2016 10:10:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse

NORTHWESTERN LACROSSE: GAME DAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Thursday, March 31	No. 1 Maryland	6 p.m.	College Park, Md.	BTN / BTN2GO	GameTracker
Social: Twitter (@NULax and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@NU_Lax) \| Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern \| Maryland

EVANSTON, Ill. — No. 8 Northwestern and No. 1 Maryland will kick off Big Ten women's lacrosse play for the second-straight year when they meet Thursday at 6 p.m. CT.

The Wildcats (4-4) and Terrapins (8-0) played in the first-ever Big Ten game in Evanston, Illinois, in front of a national audience on the Big Ten Network. The two foes will once again meet on BTN this Thursday with Mark Dixon (play-by-play) and Sheehan Burch (color) on the call.

1, 2, 3... DRAW!
Sophomore Shelby Fredericks has been dominant in the draw control circle over her last four games. Fredericks has won 34 draw controls (8.5/game) during the stretch, including eight against No. 4 North Carolina and a career-high 10 last Friday against Colorado. The Wildcats have a 59-24 advantage in the draw circle as a team over the four-game stretch.

CENTURY MARK
Senior Kaleigh Craig, the Wildcats' leader with 17 goals and active career leader, needs just two goals to hit the century mark. Craig leads the 'Cats with 22 points this season, recording seven multi-point games. She has scored at least two goals in seven games this season and has tallied three hat tricks along the way.

DON'T BLINK, YOU MIGHT MISS IT
Sophomore attacker Selena Lasota has had a faceguard employed against her in each of the Wildcats' eight games this season, but is still second on the team with 15 goals after scoring three goals in a span of 4:21 last Friday versus Colorado. Lasota has at least one goal in 26 of her first 28 career games and is just 16 shy of 100 for her career. The Campbell River, British Columbia, native needs just six points to surpass the 100-point plateau as well.

STONE WALLED
Freshman Mallory Weisse recorded her third double-digit save effort of the season against Colorado, matching her season high with 10 saves. Weisse made several 1-on-1 stops in the second half en route to making nine saves in the final 30 minutes of the contest. She also finished with a season-high six ground balls, the most by a Wildcats in a game this season.

IRON SHARPENS IRON
The Wildcats have played the toughest schedule in the country to this point and will continue to do so moving forward. The 'Cats' have the No. 1 strength of schedule according to the NCAA, having already played six games against ranked opponents with two more this week and six in their remaining eight games.

250 IN SIGHT
Head Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller moved one victory closer to number 250 in her career with the 'Cats' 11-6 win over Colorado. Amonte Hiller enters Thursday's contest with a 247-51 career record (.829 winning percentage) and is 4-4 in eight meetings against the Terrapins.

LOCK DOWN D
The Wildcats found their defensive groove in a four-game homestand, limiting opponents to just 7.75 goals per game. NU held No. 10 Stony Brook and Colorado to just six goals apiece and despite an overtime loss, held No. 4 North Carolina under double digits with just nine goals. Freshman goalkeepr Mallory Weisse is averaging 6.5 saves per game during the stretch, with 19 saves coming in the last two contests.