In July of last year, Northwestern freshman Hannah Nielsen was playing in the women’s lacrosse World Cup. Just 18 years old, Nielsen scored a goal for her native Australia in the gold medal game as they went on to beat the United States 14-7 in Maryland.
“It was amazing experience,” Nielsen said. “That was probably the best experience of my life. And it was just amazing to play with and against the best players in the world.”
Now, just nine months later, Nielsen is in college playing under a member of the very United States team she helped to defeat: NU coach Kelly Amonte Hiller.
While Amonte Hiller knew about Nielsen before the tournament, it was their first time playing together on the same field. And even though she didn’t leave with the gold, the reigning NCAA Coach of the Year did leave with a new appreciation for the young Australian.
“It was awesome (playing against Nielsen),” Amonte Hiller said. “I mean, she was a great player. She was definitely key to Australia’s success. She did all the little things for them – the draw controls, the ground balls, all the things that she does for us. And I knew that if we got her she would be an asset to our program for the next four years.”
After a brief courtship with Maryland, Denver and Loyola, Nielsen decided on the Wildcats. And even though she was a late arrival to Evanston, the freshman has already made her presence felt at NU.
Nielsen scored two goals and had one assist in last week’s 19-9 win over then-No. 18 Penn State and helped the No. 2 Cats bounce back from the 16-10 loss at Duke. But according to Amonte Hiller, it isn’t just Nielsen’s goals that make her an asset to NU.
“She’s very unselfish,” Amonte Hiller said. “She does all the little things – and she pretty much dominates that area.”
Nielsen’s style of play differs somewhat from the American norm, Amonte Hiller said. While the Aussie’s stick work and shot is a little off from the norm in the NCAA, the Cats have tried to embrace her approach while also adding some new aspects to her game.
“It’s a different style of play from what I’m used to,” Nielsen said, “but I think I’ve been fitting in pretty well. With each game, I think I’ve been improving, so I’m pretty happy with how it’s going.”
As the season enters perhaps its most critical stretch of games, namely this Friday’s meeting with No. 5 North Carolina and Sunday’s showdown against No. 8 Johns Hopkins, NU will be relying on Nielsen to help carry the team. While Nielsen is only a freshman, her coach thinks she’s ready to be a team leader.
“She’s getting more and more confident each game,” Amonte Hiller said. “She’s starting to really produce offensively, and she’s getting better and better defensively. So she’s truly an all-around player, and I think that down the stretch, she’s going to become really key for us.”
Reach Ben Larrison at [email protected].
