Lacrosse

If there was any worry about Northwestern not being up to the challenge after an easy conference schedule, those worries are all over now. The Wildcats took down Denver in dominating fashion, not allowing a single goal in the second half en route to a 19-4 victory.

NU got out to a quick start, and won the first draw control, but turned it over after just a few seconds in the offensive end. The Cats defense came up with the stop, but junior forward Izzy Scane fell to the ground for a turnover, and Denver transitioned it down and scored to take an early lead.

After giving up that goal, NU came back strong. The Pioneers got an opportunity in their zone, and junior goalie Madison Doucette made the save. Senior midfielder Brennan Dwyer scored the first goal for the Cats on the other end, and from there, NU started rolling. Graduate attacker Sammy Mueller got the next one off a free position, and Scane scored in transition right off the next draw control.

Both teams went cold for a stretch after that quick burst, but the Cats never let Denver get back in it. Sophomore forward Dylan Amonte scored her first of the day off a free position goal, and Scane added another to make it 5-1.

Denver finally scored their second goal about 20 minutes later. Doucette’s aggressive goaltending style helped NU grab the draw control and sophomore attacker Erin Coykendall scored on the free position. Sammy Mueller got another, and then Izzy Scane added one. Lauren Gilbert added a free position goal. Denver scored right at the end of the first. 

The first half saw the Pioneers earn four yellow cards, and the second half started with NU’s first, on Mueller. But despite that opportunity, Denver failed to score, and the Cats just kept going, adding 10 goals in the second half and limiting the Pioneers to virtually no time in their offensive zone.

Takeaways:

1. Draw controls keep NU ahead

Jill Girardi won eight draw controls in the first half. Those draws helped NU extend crucial possession time, and hold Denver without a goal for almost 20 minutes as they went on five-goal scoring run. Girardi again dominated in the circle in the second half, keeping the Pioneers from getting any significant offensive zone time for almost the entire first fifteen minutes. 

 2. Scane sets program record for goals in a season

Scane led the charge with eight goals, setting the single-season program record for goals and bringing her total to 89. In her first game since being named a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, Scane showed off her skills with a massive performance, including five straight goals in the second half to put Denver away for good. 

3. Northwestern’s defense and goaltending are strong, but the best defense is more offense

Doucette made key saves in transition and on free position shots in the first half, and the NU defense kept the Pioneers off the board for much of the first half. But in the second, they didn’t need to do anything, as Girardi dominated the draw controls and the Cats kept scoring goals. NU was sharp when Denver got a few opportunities late in the half, but otherwise didn’t have to do much at all en route to the lopsided victory.

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