The drive for five begins now.
No less a sure thing than death or taxes, Northwestern has dominated the lacrosse world over the past four years, winning four straight national titles and compiling an astounding 82-3 record.
With their offensive nucleus intact and a rock-solid senior in goal, the Wildcats will start their title defense on Friday, when they open their non-conference season against Denver.
Participating in the Surfside Lacrosse Cup in San Diego, the Cats will face the dangerous Pioneers, who finished No. 18 in last year’s final rankings.
Denver is just the first top-flight in NU’s brutal schedule. Of the Cats’ 17 games this season, 10 of them come against teams that finished last season ranked in the top 25. Among those are No. 2 Penn, No. 3 Syracuse, No. 4 Duke, No. 6 North Carolina, and No. 7 Virginia.
Despite the tough slate, NU enters the season as an overwhelming favorite to win its fifth straight title. Senior Hannah Nielsen, who won the Tewaarton Trophy last year for the best player in the country, will team with dynamic senior attacker Hilary Bowen to anchor a high-powered offense. NU also returns goalie Morgan Lathrop, who finished second in goals-against average last year.
The Cats’ biggest question mark comes on defense, where they will miss the shutdown play of two-time Defender of the Year Christy Finch. Filling a void is a quartet of seniors, who are transitioning to the backfield to help Lathrop keep opposing offenses in check.
NU will play an exhibition game Saturday against the Canadian national team. The Cats then have a three-week layoff before non-conference play begins in earnest with a Feb. 17 game at Duquesne.
