Archive for the ‘2009_final_NorthCarolina’ tag
21-7 NU, End of Game
In a nearly-flawless performance, Northwestern routed North Carolina 21-7 to wrap up its fifth straight national championship. The Wildcats took the lead in the opening minute on a goal by senior attacker Hilary Bowen, the first of her five goals on the afternoon, and never looked back. The victory capped off a perfect 23-0 year for coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s senior-laden squad, a group which had never experienced an undefeated season. Eight players scored for NU, and four finished with a hat trick.
The trophy presentation is scheduled to start momentarily. Keep it here for a complete game recap.
21-5 NU, 6:52 Left in Second Half
NU finally got goal no. 20, fittingly on a connection from Nielsen to Bowen–likely the final one in their careers. It was Bowen’s fifth goal today, giving her 55 for the year. Amonte Hiller has finally called off most of the dogs, thought Bowen is still in the game. What an exclamation point on an undefeated season, the first one for the Cats since the first year they won the national championship. Samantha Santulli just converted a free position shot for the 21st goal.
19-3 NU, 16:21 Left in Second Half
The Cats came out of halftime the same way they went into it. NU won the first three draws, all of which led to goals–one by Dowd, then two by Spencer. Bowen has also scored her fourth goal of the day, receiving a quick feed from Dowd on a free positon opportunity and putting it away on the far side. Most starters are still in for the Cats, who are probably trying to score that 20th goal before sending in the subs. The previous record for goals in a championship game was 16.
15-3 NU, Halftime
What a half. The Cats scored 11 goals in the final 15 minutes before the break, arguably the best stretch of lacrosse they’ve played all season. Dowd, Matthews and Bowen all have hat tricks, overwhelming the Tar Heels’ seemingly-slower defense. One of the problems for NU in the regular season contest against North Carolina was accuracy–only 17 of 33 shots were on goal. Today, 15 of 17 shots have been on goal, and all 15 have found the back of the net.
The Tar Heels have barely had the ball so far. All three of their goals were on free position chances, and they haven’t been able to put together one long, productive possession–let alone the three or four they needed to stay within shouting distance. Nielsen is getting into the act as well, picking up five assists in the last five minutes to set the mark for assists in a single NCAA tournament. NU also set the record for goals in a half in a title game with 15.
From here, the Cats can cruise to their fifth straight championship. Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller will also have a chance to empty her bench and play some reserves, especially seniors like defender Laura Clemente who have seen limited action during the season. It’s not officially over yet, but these next 30 minutes will be the most enjoyable ones the Cats have played this year. After that incredible first half, they deserve to soak up every second of them.
9-2 NU, 5:30 Left in First Half
This game is becoming a rout. On certain plays, it’s pretty clear that Bowen’s knee is acting up. But that hasn’t stopped her from adding a third goal, tops among all scorers on the afternoon. She’s reminding everyone how much more explosive this NU attack is when she’s on. Matthews also tacked on another goal, sneaking around the left side during a free position opportunity for Dowd, cleanly catching the pass and burying a shot in the back of the net. The Cats have the ball again and are looking to hit double digits.
7-2 NU, 11:30 Left in First Half
The Cats are steadily adding to their lead. Brooke Matthews sprinted down the left side after Spencer won the draw, received the pass and put it away top-shelf only 15 seconds after her team’s third goal. North Carolina scored again on a free position, this time by sophomore Corey Donohoe (younger sister of NU’s Casey).
NU came storming back, as Spencer charged in from the near side anf found Katrina Dowd wrapping around on the left for the goal. NU won the proceeding draw and scored quickly, with Bowen putting another move on her defender for her second goal of the day. Spencer added her second less than three minutes later, giving the Cats a five-goal advantage (the largest of any team during the championship round. Hannah Nielsen has been relatively silent again today, but it hasn’t mattered. North Carolina just called a timeout–the Tar Heels need to halt the Cats’ momentum and start chipping away before the half.
3-1 NU, 20:54 Left in First Half
Once again, NU has gotten off to a hot start early. Danielle Spencer drew the ball to herself to start things off, and Hilary Bowen shook her defender on the right side of the goal to put the Cats on the scoreboard less than a minute into the game. After picking up a loose ball in its own defensive end, NU pushed the ball up the field. Then senior Mary Kate Casey, who had just subbed in for freshman Shannon Smith, was awarded a free-position opportunity and made the most of it to give NU a two-goal edge.
North Carolina’s Megan Bosica responded with a free position goal of her own, but Spencer just rushed in on the far side and fired a shot past Logan Ripley to push the lead back to two. The tempo of the game is much to the Cats’ liking right now–the Tar Heels need to find a way to slow it down.
Championship Game Analysis and Predictions
Hello again from Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md., for the NCAA Division-I women’s lacrosse championship game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and your Northwestern Wildcats. We’re about 5 minutes from the opening draw, and the starters are just being introduced. The afternoon is already off to an emotional start, as 14-year-old Jaclyn Murphy led the Cats out of the locker room. Murphy, who fought a malignant brain tumor for many years and was recently diagnosed as cancer-free, has been a fixture in NU’s string of four consecutive titles. She spoke to the team during its first championship, and she has been associated with coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s squad ever since.
After months of preparation and anticipation, the season all comes down to this. It hasn’t been an easy last month of the season for the Cats, but ultmately they got where they wanted to and now have a chance to complete their drive for five.
The Tar Heels are not going to be a pushover. They showcased their suffocating defense against Maryland, holding the third-ranked Terrapins’ offense to just seven goals (less than half of its season average). North Carolina also created some problems for NU in the regular season meeting between the two teams. The Cats won 12-7, but it was only a 6-5 game at the half. The 12 goals were the fewest NU has scored with senior attacker Hilary Bowen in the lineup.
For the Cats to win this game, more players will have to step up offensively. Both Bowen and Hannah Nielsen were shut down in the semifinal win against Penn, crippling NU’s attack. Senior Meredith Frank and juniors Danielle Spencer and Katrina Dowd (who set the NCAA tournament record for goals on Friday after scoring her 18th in spectacular fashion in overtime) all recorded hat tricks, but other secondary options like freshman Shannon Smith and sophomore Brooke Matthews were kept off the scoreboard. Senior Casey Donohoe, who scored twice against North Carolina in March, did not even play against Pennsylvania.
North Carolina is one of three teams to have beaten NU during the senior class’ career, and Nielsen and company definitely haven’t forgotten the 9-8 overtime loss in Chapel Hil, N.C. It’s sure to be a dogfight today and, as usual, the draw controls will be key. The Cats struggled more than usual in that department against the Quakers, whereas the Tar Heels managed to beat the Terrapins 8-6 on the draws.
Onto the predictions:
DANNY DALY: As well as North Carolina’s defense is playing, this game figures to be a lower-scoring one than NU played against Penn. But the magnitude of this game won’t be lost on the seniors, and Nielsen will break out of her slump. Another great game from Dowd and inspired performance from goalie Morgan Lathrop will fuel an 11-8 win.
MATT FORMAN: The Cats successfully end the drive for five in Towson behind the senior class. Hannah Nielsen and Hilary Bowen star in the 14-11 victory.
Scouting the Opponent: North Carolina
In the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats had almost a week in between each game. Northwestern has a much quicker turnaround before the final against North Carolina, which will be played at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
The Cats and Tar Heels squared off in Chapel Hill in early March. The two teams had played about 10 minutes before the field was deemed unplayable because of the rain. The game was restarted the next day, wiping out North Carolina’s 4-2 lead from the day before, and NU sprinted away in the second half to win 12-7. It was the closest call the Cats had before Hilary Bowen tore her left ACL a month later.
The Tar Heels boast one of the stingiest defenses in the nation. They are ranked ninth in the country in goals against and held Maryland to seven goals, less than half of its season average. Against NU in the regular season battle, North Carolina held a healthy Bowen to just one goal. Junior attacker Katrina Dowd also scored only once, but she is a much better player now than she was then. The Cats scored on 12 of their 17 shots on goal, a relatively high percentage–the problem was their accuracy, since they had 33 total shots.
Hannah Nielsen recorded a hat trick in that game, but she has been struggling through one of the toughest stretches of her career. Both Princeton and Pennsylvania faceguarded her and kept her from scoring, and North Carolina has an ace defender in Tewaaraton Trophy finalist Amber Falcone. The Cats have been getting by without their star over the past few games–in the final, they need her to step up.
