Northwestern
#4 Syracuse
'Cats Set for Quarterfinal Battle with Syracuse
5/18/2022 12:30:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
| NORTHWESTERN LACROSSE: GAME INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | Opponent | TIME | LOCATION | Watch | Live Stats |
| Thursday, May 19 | No. 4 Syracuse | 4 p.m. CT | Martin Stadium Evanston, Ill. |
ESPNU | Live Stats |
| Social: Twitter: @NULax | Instagram: @nu_lax | |||||
EVANSTON, Ill. – After a 15-12 second round victory over No. 21 Michigan, the No. 6 Northwestern lacrosse team earned its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. The Wildcats will host long-time rival No. 4 Syracuse at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium 4 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 19. The match-up will be televised on ESPNU with Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Rachael DeCecco (analyst) on the call.
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NCAA Tournament History
From 2005 through 2012, the 'Cats claimed seven NCAA championships: second-most in the sport's history behind Maryland's 14. This season's at-large berth marks Northwestern's 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance and 18th under the leadership of head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. Dating back to her first NCAA Tournament appearance as a coach in 2004, Amonte Hiller now holds a 48-10 record in the event and a 28-0 mark in home games. Her 48 wins are the most by a head coach in the tournament's history. On Thursday, the Wildcats will vie for their third straight semifinal's appearance (2019, 2021).
Last Time Out
Northwestern cruised through the first round with an emphatic 22-7 win over Central Michigan last Friday. 11 different 'Cats found the back of the net, headlined by hat tricks from Erin Coykendall and Jill Girardi. Coykendall also added two assists to round out her five point performance.
On Sunday, a 5-0 first quarter propelled the Wildcats past Michigan, 15-12, in the second round. Lauren Gilbert tallied four goals while Coykendall turned in another five point game (two goals, three assists). Four other 'Cats scored at least two goals: Dylan Amonte, Brennan Dwyer, Girardi and Elle Hansen. Girardi also picked up a game-high eleven draw controls. Ally Palermo held down the Wildcat defense, tying a career-high with three caused turnovers.
Season Superlatives
- First-year Samantha White headlined individual conference awards for Northwestern, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolades. She is the third Wildcat to win the award, and first since Izzy Scane in 2019.
- Coykendall, Gilbert, Girardi and Palermo earned several post season honors: All-Big Ten First Team, USA Lacrosse Magazine All-Americans and IWLCA All-Region First Team members.
'Cat Facts
- Northwestern has won 19 consecutive home games, the third-longest active streak in the country (North Carolina – 30, Stony Brook – 26). The Wildcats are 11-0 in home games this year: 7-0 inside Ryan Fieldhouse and 4-0 at Martin Stadium.
- Northwestern is 7-4 against ranked opponents this season and 15-0 when scoring 12 or more goals.
- The Wildcats now lead the nation in draw controls per game (18.84). Over the weekend NU tallied 22 draws against Central Michigan and 23 draws against Michigan.
- Northwestern's fantastic draw play is powered by Girardi, who is second in the nation in draw controls per game (10.12). She has racked up a whopping 172 draws on the season, which is second in program history behind Dwyer's 181 draw controls during the 2019 season.
- Gilbert tops the Wildcat roster with a career-high 70 goals on the season. She is fifth in school history with 216 career goals.
Series History
Northwestern holds a 15-7 lead in the all-time series against Syracuse. In March, the Wildcats stormed back to defeat the Orange 16-15 in overtime in Ryan Fieldhouse behind a seven-goal performance from Gilbert and a career-high five goals from Girardi. In the NCAA Tournament, NU is 4-1 against the Orange, and is 2-0 in the quarterfinal round. The last time the Wildcats faced the Orange in the NCAA Tournament, Syracuse pulled out a 21-13 win in the 2021 semifinals to knock Northwestern out of title contention.
Up Next
The 'Cats hope to advance to the semifinals for the third straight year, where they would face the winner of North Carolina versus Stony Brook in Baltimore on Friday, May 27.
