Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Stephen J. Carrera
Wildcats Earn At-Large Bid, Will Play Louisville in First Round
5/8/2016 8:42:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. — Seven-time NCAA champion Northwestern has earned an at-large bid and will play Louisville on Friday, May 13, in the first round of 2016 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Tournament following a 10-9 regular season and runner-up finish in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Wildcats will travel to South Bend, Indiana, to take on the Cardinals in the first round for the second-straight season. The winner will advance to the second round to take on No. 6 seed Notre Dame Sunday afternoon.
Northwestern and Louisville have met in each of the last two postseasons with the Wildcats eliminating the Cardinals in the second round of the 2014 tournament, 11-8, and in the first round last year, 10-7.
The two teams met earlier this season in Louisville with the Cardinals earning their first win in the series, 10-4. The Cardinals started the season 12-1, but enter the NCAA Tournament on a four-game losing streak that included a loss in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame earned the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament by going 13-6 overall with wins over NCAA Tournament teams Stanford, Boston College, Princeton, Virginia, Duke and Louisville. The Fighting Irish visited Evanston on April 10 and suffered a 17-12 loss at the hands of Chicago's Big Ten Team.
Northwestern has a 17-3 record against Notre Dame all-time, including a 4-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats eliminated the Irish from postseason play in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015.
This year marks the 18th all-time berth in the NCAA Tournament for the seven-time national champion Wildcats, and the 13th in Kelly Amonte Hiller's storied 15-year career as head coach of the 'Cats. Amonte Hiller is 38-5 in her career in the NCAA Tournament -- representing the most wins and the best winning percentage in Division I women's lacrosse postseason history -- and this season is setting her sights on guiding Northwestern to an 11th appearance in the national semifinals and eighth national championship.
Game times for the first and second round in South Bend have yet to be announced.
The Wildcats will travel to South Bend, Indiana, to take on the Cardinals in the first round for the second-straight season. The winner will advance to the second round to take on No. 6 seed Notre Dame Sunday afternoon.
Northwestern and Louisville have met in each of the last two postseasons with the Wildcats eliminating the Cardinals in the second round of the 2014 tournament, 11-8, and in the first round last year, 10-7.
The two teams met earlier this season in Louisville with the Cardinals earning their first win in the series, 10-4. The Cardinals started the season 12-1, but enter the NCAA Tournament on a four-game losing streak that included a loss in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame earned the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament by going 13-6 overall with wins over NCAA Tournament teams Stanford, Boston College, Princeton, Virginia, Duke and Louisville. The Fighting Irish visited Evanston on April 10 and suffered a 17-12 loss at the hands of Chicago's Big Ten Team.
Northwestern has a 17-3 record against Notre Dame all-time, including a 4-0 mark in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats eliminated the Irish from postseason play in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015.
This year marks the 18th all-time berth in the NCAA Tournament for the seven-time national champion Wildcats, and the 13th in Kelly Amonte Hiller's storied 15-year career as head coach of the 'Cats. Amonte Hiller is 38-5 in her career in the NCAA Tournament -- representing the most wins and the best winning percentage in Division I women's lacrosse postseason history -- and this season is setting her sights on guiding Northwestern to an 11th appearance in the national semifinals and eighth national championship.
Game times for the first and second round in South Bend have yet to be announced.
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