With the the chance for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament gone, the Vanderbilt lacrosse team arrived at Lakeside Field on Saturday just hoping to secure an at-large invitation.
The No. 10 Commodores (10-5, 6-0 American Lacrosse Conference) had suffered a 10-9 overtime loss at No. 8 Notre Dame on Friday.
But the Wildcats (5-10, 2-4) were not about lay down for Vanderbilt – they put up a fight before falling 13-7.
“(Vanderbilt) has always been a more intimidating team,” NU freshman Marit Spekman said. “You just associate the name Vanderbilt with lacrosse, and we were psyched just to play them.”
The Commodores came out aggressively, netting three goals before Northwestern stopped playing tentatively.
“We were nervous, and it takes a lot just to get into the swing of things,” Spekman said. “They had (the game) on offense for a while, so our attack just needed time to get even.”
The Cats began to pick up speed after a slow start, ending the half down just two goals, 4-2. NU continued on the streak, closing to within 5-4 early in the second period with successive scores
from Sarah Albrecht and Angela McMahon.
“We played really well for almost the entire game,” said McMahon, who finished with two goals. “With any low parts, we played right through them- maybe for half the game we played better than them. We had more control of the ball and we kept the ball longer.”
NU managed to stay within reach of Vanderbilt until the Commodores answered with a five-goal run.
“We fought hard and stayed in the whole game,” NU coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “It’s really tough when you’re down a couple of goals because you have to play risky defense and you have to take a lot of chances.”
Three more NU players reached the net before the game’s end, but the effort was not enough to overcome the Commodores, who also scored three more goals.
Spekman finished a standout game with one goal for the Cats.
“Marit played great,” Hiller said. “She decided that today was her day and she took it to them offensively and defensively.”
The final game of the season was bittersweet for the Cats, who were pleased with their efforts despite the final score.
“I think it came down to experience, and (Vanderbilt) just really wanted it,” McMahon said. “Their tournament bid kind of depended on this game.
“We gave a great effort and never gave up. And we came back when were down. I think that shows that we matured a lot.”
The Cats said their performance against Vanderbilt was only a preview of what will come in the future.
“For us to be able to play with the 10th-best team in the country is incredible,” McMahon said. “This is really indicative of how we will play next year. We just have so much talent, and now that we have this year of experience under ourselves, we can really grow from it.”
