For the sixth straight year, Northwestern is the champion of the American Lacrosse Conference.
The Wildcats (17-1, 5-0 ALC) followed up their perfect regular season conference record with a pair of wins over the weekend to secure the ALC title. No. 2 NU defeated No. 17 Penn State 15-9 on Friday and knocked off No. 10 Vanderbilt 23-14 on Saturday.
The Cats had more trouble with the Nittany Lions than the Commodores, particularly in the opening half of Friday’s contest. Penn State struck first and tied the game 4-4 midway through the period.
Then Katrina Dowd proved why she is the ALC Player of the Year, and why she was named the ALC Championship’s Most Valuable Player.
The senior attacker scored three of her six goals in the final 15 minutes of the half, helping NU extend its lead to 8-5 at the break. She notched two goals and three assists in the second period to finish with nine points on the day.
“We didn’t feel like we played our best game Friday, ” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “We didn’t play our best, but Katrina played an unbelievable game and she carried us. She did a great job.”
The Cats’ improved play in the second half carried into Saturday’s contest. NU crushed Vanderbilt 27-9 in Evanston during the regular season, and the Cats unleashed their offensive firepower again in Columbus, Ohio. Behind sophomore attacker Shannon Smith’s seven goals and three assists, the Cats raced out to a 15-6 halftime advantage and never looked back.
The team’s improved ball movement showed in the weekend’s box scores, as NU recorded assists on eight of 15 goals against Penn State and had nine helpers on 23 scores against Vanderbilt. By comparison, when the Cats poured in 27 goals on the Commodores earlier in the season, only six of the scores were assisted.
“Moving the ball is important for our offense to work,” Dowd said. “The more we move the ball, the more openings in the middle there are, and we were connecting on those middle passes. We were also pushing our transition game, and in transition a lot of open passes are available, so that was key to those assists.”
Senior Danielle Spencer, the third member of NU’s attack, had three goals and two assists on the weekend after Penn State faceguarded her throughout Friday’s contest. Similarly to NU’s loss to North Carolina, Penn State focused primarily on stopping Spencer.
And just like she did against the Tar Heels, Dowd made Penn State pay. Spencer only scored once Friday, but she tallied 11 total draw controls over the weekend and helped free up other players for good shot opportunities.
“They were so keyed on Danielle that it helped open other people up,” Smith said. “She did well on trying to get open and working around the crease and helping set picks for us to create openings for ourselves.”
Though Dowd and Smith each stuffed the box score for a game, the underclassmen’s play provided the extra scoring needed to seal the wins. Freshmen Erin Fitzgerald, Amanda Macaluso and Ali Cassera scored one goal apiece against Penn State. Fitzgerald then tied her career high with four goals in the win over Vanderbilt, while Cassera chipped in three scores from the bench.
On the defensive end, freshmen Taylor Thornton and Gabriella Flibotte played well enough to make the ALC All-Tournament team. The duo stepped up against Vanderbilt, when Thornton had a goal and three caused turnovers, while Flibotte blocked two shots and caused two turnovers.
Amonte Hiller has pointed out the performance of freshmen in previous years as a main reason the Cats have been successful in the postseason. She said the younger players have the potential to “make the difference” in the NCAA tournament. And the veterans are encouraging the rookies to take their opportunities, especially as teams try to shut down the stars.
“This is tournament time, and (our opponents) are going to start keying in on a few players,” Dowd said. “For freshmen to step up and play with confidence in this time is unbelievable and makes the difference for us. As their teammate and as a captain, I’m just going to tell them to keep doing what they’re doing and keep their heads up and stay confident.”
The Cats have been constantly searching for consistency, and with the NCAA tournament less than a week away, they need to find it fast. Amonte Hiller said the team needs to understand each little play makes a difference in big games, and she was disappointed in the way the players came out against Penn State to open the tournament.
NU will look to start strong in its first NCAA tournament match, which will be against Notre Dame at 1 p.m. Saturday. And while the Cats can work on the fundamentals all day, ultimately their fate will come down to their mental fortitude.
“Mental focus and mental toughness are big things to have out there,” Dowd said. “We can do line drills for hours, but if we don’t have the mindset that it’s win-or-go-home instilled in all of us, we’re not going to accomplish our goals for May.”
