Coming into the season, Northwestern’s defense faced the daunting challenge of replacing Christy Finch, who coach Kelly Amonte Hiller called the greatest takeaway defender she had ever seen. Finch caused the fourth-most turnovers in NCAA Division I history, giving the Wildcats extra possessions each game for their high-powered offense to do even more damage.
Contrary to what some expected, NU has not taken a step back defensively this season. In fact, the Cats have not just maintained their defensive excellence – they are playing significantly better.
“A lot of the credit is due to (assistants) Scott (Hiller) and Ann Elliott – they’ve really spearheaded the defensive effort,” Amonte Hiller said. “We knew we were going to be pretty young back there in terms of experience, but we wanted to make it one of our strengths. We’re really excited about how the defense has performed under pressure.”
The results speak for themselves.
Through its first 13 games, NU has allowed 20 fewer goals than it did last year. Only one team, American Lacrosse Conference rival Vanderbilt, has scored double digits against NU, and top-10 squads with explosive attacks like Georgetown, Duke and Syracuse turned in their worst offensive performances of the season.
“The defense has been doing unbelievable,” senior goalie Morgan Lathrop said. “It starts all over the field. A lot of people have been stepping up.”
Lathrop, one of three NU players nominated for the Tewaaraton Trophy (along with last year’s winner Hannah Nielsen and the injured Hilary Bowen), has been a major reason why the defense did not skip a beat. She has taken her game to another level, lowering her goals-against average by a quarter from last year and raising her save percentage nearly as much.
Amonte Hiller is pleased with how Lathrop has reacted to her leadership role.
“Her preparation is the key, and she has really worked hard this year to be physically and mentally ready every time she steps out on that field,” Amonte Hiller said.
The defenders also give plenty of recognition to their offensive counterparts. It certainly helps getting to work out with the top offense in the country. Nothing the defensive unit goes up against in games is any more difficult than what it faces in daily scrimmages.
“I definitely think the offense helps us, practicing against them every day, ” senior midfielder Caitlin Jackson said. “A lot of that (credit) can be attributed to them as well.”
The offense also contributes by winning many draws, allowing the Cats to control the ball for long stretches and keep their opponent from getting in a rhythm. Attackers and midfielders also cause a number of turnovers before the other team can even get past midfield.
One of the best at that is Bowen, who is potentially out for the season with a torn ACL in her right knee. She paced the team in caused turnovers before she went down and is still tied for the lead, even though she has missed nearly two full games and counting.
Last Sunday against Penn State was NU’s first without the services of its star. To make matters worse, freshman midfielder Alexandra Frank, who is tied with Bowen in caused turnovers, was sick at the beginning of the game and did not start.
But a pair of seniors came to the Cats’ rescue.
“A couple of people that stepped up were veterans Mary Kate Casey and Meghan Plunkett,” Amonte Hiller said.
One recent concern for NU has been its play at the start of games. The Cats have found themselves in a 3-0 hole twice in their last three contests.
They were able to recover both times, but need to adjust their mentality to prevent the situation from recurring.
“Every team is going to treat it, when they play us, like the national championship and bring that intensity, and we need to be able to match it from the first whistle,” Lathrop said. “We’ve just been a little sluggish at the start.”
NU has its last road trip of the regular season this weekend, with games against conference foe Johns Hopkins and No. 10 Virginia. While the Cats did not play Virginia last year, their matchup against the Blue Jays ended in a tense 14-12 win at Lakeside Field.
If the first part of the season is any indication, Johns Hopkins will not duplicate that 12-goal output.
