May 7, 2008

by Clare Lochary, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Does familiarity really breed contempt? If so, the first round of the Division I women's lacrosse tournament will have plenty of it, since five of the eight first-round games are replays of regular season match-ups.

But seventh-seeded Boston University and New Hampshire have nothing but mutual respect for each other, even though they will meet for the third time this season Sunday.

"New Hampshire-BU, that's a date you always know. There's always an excitement. It's an easy game to get up for," said New Hampshire head coach Sandy Bridgeman.

The Wildcats and the Terriers fought like cats and dogs in both meetings this season. BU came out on top twice by a combined two goals, besting New Hampshire, 7-6, on April 12 and again, 9-8, in overtime in the America East championship game April 27.

Terriers head coach Liz Robertshaw thinks it's fitting that her team will face its best enemy in the first round, since the Wildcats prepared them so well for the pressures of the NCAA tournament.

"The lessons we learned going into an OT game, it's huge," said Robertshaw. "You have to know how to do those things in tight situations when there's a lot on the line."

BU arguably did itself a disservice by nabbing the America East title away from New Hampshire. The Terriers' regular season record probably would have warranted a postseason berth regardless, but by winning their conference title, they landed in a play-in game against Northeastern Conference champion Sacred Heart.

(The four conferences with the lowest combined RPIs from the previous season share two play-in games for two automatic qualifiers to the NCAA tournament. BU beat Sacred Heart, 16-2, and Patriot League champ Colgate edged MAAC winner Marist, 19-18, in the other play-in.)

But Robertshaw did not mind the chance to shake off any lingering big game jitters.

"I definitely think that's hard when you do well during the season and put yourself in a good spot," said Robertshaw. "On the other hand, having a younger team, it was a great experience for the girls to play, even though it wasn't really an elimination game. We had a tough first half, and I'd rather get it out that game than this Sunday. We can throw in some new things."

One adjustment Robertshaw had to make was the absence of senior midfielder Molly Collins. Collins, who had both game-winners against New Hampshire, left the America East final after absorbing a nasty hit from a Wildcat defender. She sat out against Sacred Heart to safeguard against the possibility of aggravating what could be a mild concussion, and is still questionable for Sunday's game.

Even without Collins, the BU offense is excellent. The team has a combined .488 shooting percentage and, individually, top scorers Sarah Dalton and Lauren Morton shoot well over 50 percent.

"It's placement, and muscle memory. Liz does a great job of scouting other teams' goalies," said Dalton. "[Our attackers] are not just shooting to shoot - they're looking to score."

Still, if anyone can withstand that sniper fire, it's New Hampshire. The Wildcats were the only team to hold the Terriers to single digits, and they did it twice. Plus, they've got a score to settle.

"I feel like defensively as a unit, that's been our strength," said Bridgeman. "We're kind of defining New Hampshire lacrosse. What is our style? How do we play? We're a pretty scrappy team. I love our intensity and effort."

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First-Round Fodder

A brief look at the other Division I first-round match-ups, all of which take place Sunday:

Notre Dame at No. 1 Northwestern
The Wildcats got dinged by NCAA travel policies on this draw. The Irish are hardly the weakest team in the field, so logistics and not lacrosse dictated this match-up. But such is life in non-revenue sports, and Northwestern thumped Notre Dame, 16-2, on April 9 anyway.

Vanderbilt at No. 8 Princeton
In one of the most intriguing and evenly matched games of the first round, both teams have plenty to prove. The only other time the Commodores and the Tigers met was in the 2004 semifinal - host Princeton won, 11-3 - when this year's seniors were still in high school. Neither program has matched the success of those 2004 squads, a fact that rests heavily with the combined 11 seniors playing in the game.

Towson at No. 3 Syracuse
Thanks to the highest-scoring offense in Division I (take that, Duke men!), the Orange routed the Tigers, 22-5, on March 19. Katie Rowan and Christina Dove alone combined for 10 goals and doubled up on the entire Towson squad last time, so Syracuse can likely expect victory in its first-ever NCAA tournament home game. Barring any upsets, the Orange could have the chance to avenge its only two losses as it works its way through the bracket, as it would meet No. 4 Virginia in the quarterfinals and No. 1 Northwestern in semifinals.

North Carolina at No. 4 Virginia
If the Tar Heels want to improve upon their 16-5 regular-season loss to the Cavaliers, they will need a better performance from goalie Amanda Barnes, who allowed 14 goals before head coach Jenny Levy pulled her from the game midway through the second half. Barnes' overall save percentage is .400, but she has started every game. Usually North Carolina's offense (11.81 goals per game) can make up the difference, but that's hard to do against a goalie as good as Virginia's Kendall McBrearty (.515 save percentage).

Temple at No. 3 Maryland
This game is a rematch of the 1984 Division I women's final, which the Owls won, 6-4. Do not expect a low-scoring chess match this time around, however, as both teams can put up points. But before it can score, Temple has to win the draw away from the Terps' Dana Dobbie, the NCAA's career draw control leader (322).

Duke at No. 6 Georgetown Duke
When these teams met March 15, the Hoyas' leading scorer, Ashby Kaestner, got a red card with seven minutes left to play in the Blue Devils' 12-11 victory. (Maybe she was just a little over-cranked to play against her sister Christie, a freshman attacker for the Blue Devils?) Even without those seven minutes, Kaestner had two goals and an assist, so Duke can't look past her or the Hoyas if they want to advance in this tournament and break its three-year semifinal curse.

Colgate at No. 2 Penn
Getting the No. 2 seed despite beating top-seeded Northwestern is probably the best thing that ever happened to Quakers' head coach Karin Brower, who likes her team play with a chip on its shoulder. That said, it would be hard to convince Penn that it's the underdog in this one. The Raiders are 11-9, and needed a 19-18 victory over MAAC champion Marist in the play-in game to slip into the tournament.

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Contact Clare Lochary at clochary@uslacrosse.org.