The Northwestern lacrosse team started the season on fire, winning its first five matches by an average of more than five goals per game.
But after this weekend’s losses to No. 16 Stanford and Virginia Tech, the Wildcats (6-5) are now 1-5 in their last six games and have been outscored by their opponents 72-41.
NU got off to strong starts in both games before falling 9-5 to the Cardinal and 14-9 to the Hoakies.
At home against Stanford (9-2) on Friday, NU jumped to an early 3-1 lead. But it was all downhill from there.
The Cardinal had a good showing of support. One father was videotaping goalie Christina Saikus. Another fan berated referees from underneath a large Cardinal flag. As junior Courtney Koester quickly brought the ball upfield, one father yelled at players to “take her out.”
On the field, the Cats went seven minutes in the middle of the first half without an offensive possession and 10 minutes without a goal. With the score tied 3-3, freshman Laura Glassanos cut through the middle and converted on a pass from sophomore Donna McCann to end the scoring drought.
The score was still 4-3 when a Stanford shot that got past NU goalie Ashley Gersuk came just after the whistle for halftime.
“We played really well in the first half,” NU head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “We came out and set the tone against a really good team.”
But any momentum the Cats built before the break fizzled with the start of the second half.
Stanford tallied four unanswered goals in the first 15 minutes while the Cardinal defense held NU scoreless for a 20-minute stretch spanning both halves. Junior Angela McMahon found freshman Lindsay Munday to end the drought and bring the score to 7-5, but it would be the Cats’ only goal of the half.
NU had plenty of chances to score, but just couldn’t convert. They were 0-for-4 in free positions, set shots on goal from inside the crease.
The Cats’ 16 turnovers equaled their number of shots on goal. And by the end of the day, Saikus had tallied 10 saves, including six key stops in the second half.
“Coach said that it was like she had a target sign on her,” sophomore Erin Flynn said, “and we kept hitting it.”
Two more Stanford goals in the final three minutes put the game out of reach. But after the game, Amonte Hiller remained optimistic.
“I would say that this was one of our best games so far,” she said. “They made some mental mistakes … but some days you can’t put it in the net.”
In only its second season at the varsity level there are no easy games for the team. But after playing five top-20 teams in 19 days, Sunday’s matchup with 2-10 Virginia Tech was about as much of a break as the Cats would get.
With the game tied 2-2 after the first 20 minutes of play, the Hoakies broke the game open. They scored four goals and entered halftime with a 6-2 lead.
Although NU scored seven goals in the second half, Virgina Tech scored eight in cruising to a 14-9 victory.
Knowing her team wasn’t outmatched, Amonte Hiller said the loss was a matter of intensity.
“We could’ve beat them,” she said. “We just didn’t come to play in the first half. We have to have a sense of urgency from the first draw, not when we’re down by four goals.”
It’s been more than a month since NU has scored at least 10 goals against an opponent. Whether the Cats’ offense gets back on track or they have to rely on a stingy defense, NU will need to step up their level of play when they take on No. 10 Penn State on Saturday.
But Amonte Hiller is confident that her team will be able to learn from this weekend’s losses.
“I’m not worried,” Amonte Hiller said. “They’re smart girls. They know what went wrong.”
