Saturday’s result in Gainesville, Fla., was a sign for Northwestern.
After dominating the American Lacrosse Conference for a majority of the last 10 years, NU was dethroned by Florida this season.
It is a sign of the parity that has taken over women’s lacrosse. Five teams enter the NCAA Championships with a realistic shot to win the national title. The last two seasons, the only legitimate threats were NU and Maryland, but this year North Carolina, Florida and Syracuse join the two titans as title contenders.
The competition is a good thing for the Cats, and it is why I am confident they will be victorious Memorial Day weekend in Stony Brook, N.Y. NU has played in a multitude of close games against opponents who failed to make the field of 16. The courageous comeback against Ohio State at Gillette Stadium and the large run to beat Johns Hopkins during the regular season were two of the many examples of NU’s fighting off adversity to find a way to claim the victory.
Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said it best after the first loss to Florida when she said these Cats play with more focus and adrenaline when they’re down.
While revenge is always a excellent motivator, there are other significant obstacles not named Florida standing in NU’s path to the title.
When the brackets were released Sunday night, the Cats grabbed the No. 2 seed in the tournament. However, they drew five teams in the top 10 of the RPI, and the other two teams on their side are ranked No. 11 and No. 14.
The most dangerous team to NU’s title hopes may not be the No. 3 seed, but No. 6. Loyola Maryland which is coming off a Big East Tournament championship in which it beat two top-10 teams en route to the title. The Greyhounds’ 13-7 win over then-No. 2 Syracuse sealed just how dangerous this team can be in the national tournament. Though third-ranked Maryland still poses a threat, the Cats have faced the Terrapins with a national title on the line in the last two seasons and know what to expect in that game. Loyola Maryland and NU have not squared off since 1986, and the Greyhounds have shown they can compete with the best teams in the country.
This is the second year in a row when we come into the NCAA Championships wondering if the Cats can win a title. Last season, we questioned whether NU could rebound from shocking losses to Florida and Johns Hopkins to beat Maryland. This season we question whether the Cats can figure out a strong Gators defense that has puzzled them in the last two meetings.
Despite all the obstacles, I still see the Cats and Gators facing off in their third title fight in as many tries. Florida may have taken the ALC regular season and tournament titles, but NU will not lose to a team three times in a row. Not when there is this much parity in lacrosse.
Sports editor Josh Walfish is a Medill sophomore. He can be reached at [email protected].
