Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Duke gets revenge as Cats’ 31-game winning streak (Lacrosse)

It had been 691 days, 31 games and one national championship since Northwestern last lost a lacrosse game. But the day finally came on Friday, when No. 4 Duke’s 16-10 win over the top-ranked Wildcats spoiled the streak.

That the team was able to remain so consistent for so long was a testament to the efforts of the coaching staff and a constantly solid output from the NU players, team members said. If the Cats are going to keep winning, they said, it will be in the same manner by which they did before the loss.

“Obviously we would have rather not lost,” senior Laura Glassanos said. “But I think it does relieve some of that pressure. And it’s better now than in the tournament.”

There were close calls before. Game number one of the run was a 6-5 squeaker at North Carolina to start the 2005 season. Then there was last year’s NU-Duke matchup, a face-off between the top two teams in the country. That game went to the Cats, a 16-11 victory in a highly-competitive battle.

In the 2005 NCAA quarterfinals, NU edged then-No. 8 Princeton 8-6 en route to the national championship. Even just a week ago the Cats were down in the second half to an unranked Connecticut team before coming back to win 16-8 with a big second half run.

In each of those games NU pulled it out, be it with a scoring tear, stingy defense or relentless pressure. But now the streak is over, and the question remains: Where do they go from here?

“I think it puts us in a situation where we have to re-evaluate where we’re at as a team and individually,” NU coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “And we need to move forward and improve every day – if we want to win another championship.”

Will the team collapse, the air of invincibility now gone with the streak? Or will their reaction be like that of the 1997 Maryland team who saw its 50-game winning streak snapped by Loyola (Maryland), only to defeat that same Loyola squad 8-7 in the NCAA championship game?

“I don’t think this will affect anyone,” senior Laura Glassanos said. “Part of playing sports is losing, and we’re only human. Hopefully it will fuel us for the upcoming games.”

Despite the loss, NU should still find themselves in the NCAA Tournament come May. From there, it’s a matter of whether or not they can repeat. No one would argue against the Cats’ talent; they were ranked No. 1 for a reason. But the intriguing prospect of another NU-Duke showdown still looms, and the players welcome the opportunity.

“I’d love to play them again,” Josephs said. “(It) would be really great, and hopefully we will.”

Reach Ben Larrison at [email protected].

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Duke gets revenge as Cats’ 31-game winning streak (Lacrosse)