#2 Northwestern Avenges Loss to #3 UNC in Semifinals
TOWSON, Md. -- Behind a second half offensive surge and a trio of hat tricks by the Northwestern offense, the Wildcats pulled away from North Carolina 15-10 in the NCAA semifinal at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md. Second-ranked Northwestern now sets its sights on Sunday's national championship game, where it will meet top-ranked Maryland at 4:30 p.m. CT Sunday, May 30.
"Obviously I'm very excited to have the opportunity to play in a championship game again this year and I thought it was a hard fought game on both sides," said head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. "It is very exciting to be part of a game like that and I was proud of the way my girls played, the focus that they brought, the patience and how they were really able to convert and stay calm in the pressure situations."
Photos Courtesy of Ben and James Mackey
Seniors Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) and Katrina Dowd (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) each recorded three goals on the night, complemented by a hat trick from freshman Erin Fitzgerald (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai), who continues her high level of play in the postseason. Sophomore Shannon Smith (West Bablyon, N.Y./West Babylon) led the 'Cats with four points on the night (2G, 2A) while junior Brooke Matthews (Baltimore, Md./Friends School) and sophomore Alexandra Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) each added a pair of goals for Northwestern.
Spencer also made her presence felt in the draw circle, winning a game-best eight on the night as the Wildcats held a 17-9 advantage for the night. She upped her season total to 105 and became just the fourth player in NCAA history to eclipse the 100-draw mark in a single season.
Dowd continued to live up to her nickname of "Miss May," as with her three goals on the night she extended her tournament goal total to an NCAA-record 45. Dowd also became just the fourth player in Division I history to tally 50 career postseason points, sitting at 52 in a Wildcat uniform and within striking distance of former teammates Hannah Nielsen (56 points) and Hilary Bowen (55). She now sits at 77 goals on the year, marking a new personal-best and moving into second-place all-time in program history in single-season goals, trailing only Bowen's 81 in 2008.
The victory over the Tar Heels avenges the Wildcats' only loss of the 2010 season, an 18-16 defeat in Evanston on April 18, as they improve to 7-2 all-time against North Carolina. Northwestern extended its NCAA-record postseason winning streak to 23 games while notching it's 20th win of the season -- the sixth-straight season Northwestern has reached the 20-win plateau.
North Carolina struck first as Laura Zimmerman gave the Heels a 1-0 lead with just 95 seconds burned off the clock. Matthews then energized her hometown fans, firing a shot into the back of the net to even the game at one at the 24:38 mark.
The two teams would then lock down in a defensive struggle, going nearly 13 minutes without a goal until Spencer rocketed a free position goal past Ripley to give the 'Cats their first lead of the game at 2-1. It was short lived, however, as UNC answered just 43 seconds later to knot the contest at two. Fitzgerald gave the lead back to Northwestern, converted on a free position attempt to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead with 2:25 to go in the opening half.
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"Obviously I'm very excited to have the opportunity to play in a championship game again this year and I thought it was a hard fought game on both sides," said head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. "It is very exciting to be part of a game like that and I was proud of the way my girls played, the focus that they brought, the patience and how they were really able to convert and stay calm in the pressure situations."
Photos Courtesy of Ben and James Mackey
Seniors Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) and Katrina Dowd (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) each recorded three goals on the night, complemented by a hat trick from freshman Erin Fitzgerald (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai), who continues her high level of play in the postseason. Sophomore Shannon Smith (West Bablyon, N.Y./West Babylon) led the 'Cats with four points on the night (2G, 2A) while junior Brooke Matthews (Baltimore, Md./Friends School) and sophomore Alexandra Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) each added a pair of goals for Northwestern.
Spencer also made her presence felt in the draw circle, winning a game-best eight on the night as the Wildcats held a 17-9 advantage for the night. She upped her season total to 105 and became just the fourth player in NCAA history to eclipse the 100-draw mark in a single season.
Dowd continued to live up to her nickname of "Miss May," as with her three goals on the night she extended her tournament goal total to an NCAA-record 45. Dowd also became just the fourth player in Division I history to tally 50 career postseason points, sitting at 52 in a Wildcat uniform and within striking distance of former teammates Hannah Nielsen (56 points) and Hilary Bowen (55). She now sits at 77 goals on the year, marking a new personal-best and moving into second-place all-time in program history in single-season goals, trailing only Bowen's 81 in 2008.
The victory over the Tar Heels avenges the Wildcats' only loss of the 2010 season, an 18-16 defeat in Evanston on April 18, as they improve to 7-2 all-time against North Carolina. Northwestern extended its NCAA-record postseason winning streak to 23 games while notching it's 20th win of the season -- the sixth-straight season Northwestern has reached the 20-win plateau.
North Carolina struck first as Laura Zimmerman gave the Heels a 1-0 lead with just 95 seconds burned off the clock. Matthews then energized her hometown fans, firing a shot into the back of the net to even the game at one at the 24:38 mark.
The two teams would then lock down in a defensive struggle, going nearly 13 minutes without a goal until Spencer rocketed a free position goal past Ripley to give the 'Cats their first lead of the game at 2-1. It was short lived, however, as UNC answered just 43 seconds later to knot the contest at two. Fitzgerald gave the lead back to Northwestern, converted on a free position attempt to give the Wildcats a 3-2 lead with 2:25 to go in the opening half.
2010-05-29
