Kelly Amonte Hiller and the Northwestern women’s lacrosse team never shy away from competition.
Just take a look at this season’s schedule. The Wildcat’s 17-game slate includes 11 matchups against ranked opponents.
Undefeated through their first three games, the Wildcats have already knocked off three teams in the top 11.
For a team comprised of two-thirds underclassmen, NU’s impressive performances during its two game road swing to the Southeast were the ideal confidence boost.
Against No. 3 North Carolina, the Cats proved they can prevail in a low-scoring, defensive struggle. Two days later in Nashville, NU reminded the lax world of its offensive firepower in yet another blowout of No. 11 Vanderbilt.
NU’s 7-6 overtime victory against UNC was nothing like the 18-16 shootout last spring when the Tar Heels snapped the Cats’ 41-game win streak and handed them their first loss ever at Lakeside Field.
The Cats found themselves in another unfamiliar situation against the Tar Heels on Friday. They only needed to score in the single digits to win.
“We knew coming in what a crucial game this was, and we emphasized how important every goal in this game would be,” Amonte Hiller said after the win in Chapel Hill.
The last time an opponent held the Wildcats under 10 goals was when the University of Pennsylvania defeated NU 11-7 in the 2008 regular season finale. Earlier that year, the Cats beat Georgetown 7-6 in the nation’s capital.
Two former defenders who are now midfielders found the back of the net to force overtime and then clinch the victory over UNC.
Junior Lacey Vigmostad’s free position shot goal tied the score with 3:09 left in the game. With only 15 seconds remaining on the clock in OT, sophomore Taylor Thornton netted the game winner.
Both Vigmostad and Thornton are expected to become more reliable goal scorers in 2011.
After the nail biter in North Carolina, the team that averaged more than 16 goals a game last year showed they can still run up the score, even without Katrina Dowd and Danielle Spencer.
More important than scoring 17 goals, the Wildcats’ tremendous depth was on display against Vanderbilt as 10 different Cats contributed to the blowout. Three freshmen scored their first collegiate goals, including Kara Mupo, who netted a pair.
NU fans are accustomed to wins like Sunday’s 17-6 shellacking of the Commodores. The players should feel relieved after their first double-digit victory of the season, but proving they can win tight games is a great sign for team that knows it will be tested again.
Women’s lacrosse’s growing popularity, in part because of the Wildcats’ success in spreading the game outside the East Coast, has produced a larger talent pool.
With parity and more talent across the board, the quest to return to NCAA Championship game will be as difficult as ever.
But if this weekend’s two victories are any indication of what’s to come, maybe one of my predictions will come to fruition and the Cats will play for a 6th national title in May.
Justin Schecker is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
