Smith's Career Night Helps 'Cats Claw UMass
from press release
SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Sophomore Shannon Smith
(West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) led a balanced offensive attack
for Northwestern, recording six goals and dishing out three assists
as NU roared past Massachusetts 18-6 in its season opener. Senior
Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) also added five goals
as nine different Wildcats recorded points on the evening.
Smith, who set personal bests in points, goals and assists, struck
quickly for the Wildcats (1-0), notching the first goal of the 2010
season with just over two minutes gone in the opening half. Her
goal helped spark a seven-goal outburst over a 16-minute period as
the 'Cats pounced to the 7-0
lead midway through the opening stanza. Smith would tally two more
goals during the run, with
junior Brooke Matthews (Baltimore, Md./Friends School), sophomores
Lacey Vigmostad (Northport,
N.Y./Northport) and Alexandra Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) and
Spencer each notching a tally.
The Minutewomen (0-1) answered back with a pair of goals 38
seconds apart to cut the deficit to
five at 7-2, but all that did was fuel the Northwestern fire. The
reigning champs responded with a
pair of goals from both Smith and Spencer that spanned 64 seconds
to reclaim momentum with an 11-2 lead. Spencer would add her fourth
of the half, which was complimented by a goal from freshman Erin
Fitzgerald (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai) and another from Frank,
giving Northwestern the 14-3 break at the half.
Northwestern retained control of the second half as well, as goals
by Frank and Spencer within the
opening 90 seconds gave the Wildcats a 16-3 lead. Both the
Minutewomen and Wildcats exchanged goals for the remainder of the
game, with Smith, Spencer and sophomore Lizzie Abramson (Wilmette,
Ill./New Trier) rounding out the scoring for NU. Matthews and
freshman Taylor Thornton (Dallas, Texas/Hockaday School) each added
an assist for the 'Cats.
With her nine points on the night, Smith becomes just the seventh
player in program history to
accomplish the feat and the first since Hannah Nielsen dropped
nine on Syracuse last season. Her
six draw controls are also a personal best.
Frank also set personal highs with her three goals and two
assists, while her five caused turnovers
are also a career-high. She becomes just the fourth player in
Northwestern history to record five
caused turnovers and the first since Christy Finch in 2008.
Northwestern dominated Massachusetts in nearly every statistical
category, outshooting the Minutewomen 37-14 while holding a 21-5
edge in draw controls. UMass did have a 13-3 save advantage on NU
as sophomore Brianne LoManto (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point)
recorded three saves while allowing just three goals in nearly 40
minutes of work.
With the victory, Northwestern improved to 9-1 all-time against
Massachusetts and extending its
winning streak over the Minutewomen to nine games. It also
extended the Wildcats' consecutive
victory streak to 30 games, marking the third 30-game wining
streak in program history.
The game, a rematch of last year's NCAA first-round matchup, was
the showcase game of the 2010 WomensLax.com Surfside Cup at Rancho
Bernardo High School. The crowd of 1,315 fans was treated to a
great game on a pleasant southern California evening, with the
exception of a 10-minute rain downpour midway through the second
half.
The Wildcats now have a few weeks off to make any necessary
adjustments before returning the West Coast at the end of the
month. Northwestern heads to northern California to take on
Stanford and California on Feb. 26 and 28.
