Northwestern Throttles Florida 19-5
from press release
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Eleven different players
found the back of the net Sunday afternoon as second-ranked
Northwestern rolled past American Lacrosse Conference newcomer
Florida 19-5 on Senior Day at Lakeside Field. Sophomore Shannon
Smith (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) led the way with four goals
while senior Katrina Dowd (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) added a
pair of goals and three assists.
"Our focus coming into this game was to play hard for the seniors
and make this day memorable for them," said head coach Kelly Amonte
Hiller. "Our seniors really stepped up today and were key for us,
and the rest of the team really played hard for them. I thought it
was a good effort all around, and now we just need to maintain that
as we head into the (ALC) tournament."
The momentum gained in overtime against Virginia Friday night
seemed to carry over into Sunday's game, as before a minute had run
off the game clock, the Wildcats (15-1, 5-0 ALC) had a 2-0 lead
thanks to goals from Dowd and senior Kim Pantages (North Caldwell,
N.J./West Essex). Dowd would add her second a minute later as
Northwestern thwarted any thoughts of a Florida (9-7, 1-4 ALC)
early.
From there the balanced Wildcat attack was in full force as
Northwestern built a 14-0 lead at halftime, led by the four goals
from Smith and a pair from Dowd, sophomore Alexandra Frank
(Westwood, Mass./Westwood) and freshman Ali Cassera (Fairfield,
N.J./West Essex). Senior Danielle Spencer (Rochester,
N.Y./Brighton) and freshmen Taylor Thornton (Dallas, Texas/Hockaday
School) and Amanda Macaluso (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) each found
the back of the net as well.
Dowd won the opening draw in the second half, then sent a feed to
freshman Erin Fitzgerald (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai) as the
Wildcats extended their advantage to 15-0. The Gators finally got
on the board with a pair of goals, only to see Northwestern answer
with goals of its own off the sticks of Pantages and junior Brooke
Matthews (Baltimore, Md./Friends School).
Florida would cut the gap down to 12 at 17-5 with 14:35 to play,
but a Fitzgerald goal with 6:40 remaining made it 18-5. Then, in
fitting Senior Day fashion, senior Sara Harrington (Westwood,
Mass./Westwood) converted on a free position attempt with 1:54 to
go for her first goal in a Northwestern uniform.
All five Wildcat seniors recorded at least one point on the
afternoon as senior Maggie Bremer (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper
Arlington) recorded an assist on Pantages' second goal of the game.
Spencer, Frank and Macaluso each dished out a helper as
Northwestern wrapped up its sixth-straight undefeated ALC regular
season.
Northwestern's offensive attack dominated from the opening draw,
outshooting Florida 39-12 on the day. Draw controls also factored
heavily into the Wildcat victory as they held a 21-5 edge for the
game, including a 13-2 advantage in the opening half. Frank and
Spencer each won five draws on the day for the 'Cats with Dowd
adding four to go along with her game-best three ground balls.
Defensively, Northwestern forced Florida into nine turnovers, which
helped lead to the first half shutout. Sophomore goalkeeper Brianne
LoManto (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point) had four saves in 45
minutes of work while junior Darby St. Clair-Barrie (Scituate,
Mass./Brooks School) added a save in relief for the Wildcats.
Gator goalkeeper Cara Canington finished with 11 saves for Florida,
who fell into a three-way tie with Ohio State and Penn State for
fourth-place in the conference standings. Janine Hillier had a pair
of goals for the Gators while Kitty Cullen added a goal and an
assist.
With the regular season in its rear view mirror, Northwestern now
sets its sights on the American Lacrosse Conference Championship
next weekend in Columbus, Ohio. The Wildcats, who had previously
clinched the top seed in the tournament, will play the winner of
the No. 4 vs. No. 5 at 2 p.m. CT Friday, May 7, in the ALC
semifinals. Should Northwestern reach the championship game, it
will be at 1 p.m. CT Saturday, May 8.
