Within WakeMed Soccer Park’s manicured grounds and rolling hills, Northwestern bludgeoned Boston College in a dominant 18-6 national title victory to scale collegiate lacrosse’s summit an eighth time last May.
Purple and white confetti accompanied the afternoon’s rainfall, marking the Wildcats’ first NCAA Championship in 11 seasons. Behind graduate student attacker and Tewaaraton winner Izzy Scane, the Lake Show soared a class above the nation’s perennial powers.
Flash forward eight months later: The ’Cats battled Stanford in a Sunday exhibition in Ryan Fieldhouse — NU’s final dress rehearsal before its matchup against Syracuse Feb. 10. The squads last faced in Evanston last March, with the hosts activating the running clock in the first quarter en route to a 20-9 victory.
Although the ’Cats took more than a quarter to get their wheels churning, coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s first lines found their footing during a dominant second and third quarter stretch. The trio of Scane, graduate student attacker Erin Coykendall and sophomore attacker Madison Taylor proved too dynamic for the Cardinal to contain.
Once NU captured a 10-goal advantage in the third period’s final seconds, the veteran coach rotated in a flurry of freshmen and sophomores in the final frame. Despite a late Stanford push, the ’Cats held on to capture a 26-22 victory.
With scrimmage rules in play, both coaches sent out their squads for 10 minutes of running clock action. The Cardinal scored two goals in the extra frame, conceding just one conversion.
Here are three takeaways from NU’s exhibition win against Stanford.
- Holmes regaining sophomore year form
Less than one minute into Sunday’s scrimmage, senior attacker Leah Holmes dashed into her attacking role, received a feed in front of the cage and fired home the matchup’s opening goal. The lefty remained a scoring threat, showing glimpses of her breakout sophomore year form.
A former U19 U.S. National team gold medalist, Holmes has tallied 52 points in her three seasons with the ’Cats.
Last season, then-graduate student attacker Hailey Rhatigan instantly slotted into Amonte Hiller’s starting lineup upon her return from injury, scorching opposing nets to the tune of 62 goals and 11 assists. But with Rhatigan’s emergence, Holmes was relegated to the bench.
Now that Rhatigan and attacker Elle Hansen graduated, Amonte Hiller must replace a dynamic left-handed speedster and a skilled feeder. If Sunday serves any indication, Holmes’ minutes and production may see a significant increase this season.
- Frank finds her footing early on; Marshall provides new dynamic
Two months ago, graduate student defender Alia Marshall and graduate student midfielder Lindsey Frank looked to capture a field hockey national crown in Chapel Hill. The pair fell to North Carolina in penalty strokes — mere inches away from immortality.
Both exchanged their field hockey sticks for expertly strung lacrosse sticks, ready for one final national title push. Frank shone on Richmond’s attack for four years, tallying a program single-season record 67 goals and 90 points during her senior year.
A 2021 field hockey national champion, Marshall earned All-American honors on Cape Henlopen high school’s lacrosse squad. After five standout seasons on coach Tracey Fuchs’ field hockey team, Marshall returned to the lacrosse field for one last dance.
Frank started on the attacking line Sunday, packing a potent scoring punch and a distributive flair. Meanwhile, Marshall logged defensive minutes and demonstrated her elite dual-sport athleticism between the restraining lines.
- Smith sisters, DeMunno handle bulk of draw responsibilities
As she did throughout last season’s national championship run, junior midfielder Samantha Smith trotted out to the circle to take Sunday’s opening draw. She peaked at the perfect moment last year, corralling eight draw controls against Boston College on championship Sunday.
With the exhibition giving way for experimentation, Amonte Hiller rotated Samantha Smith with her younger sister in freshman midfielder Madison Smith and junior midfielder Serafina DeMunno.
DeMunno adds significant size in the circle, standing at 5-foot-10, and Amonte Hiller consistently praised her possessional prowess last season. In tandem with Samantha Smith, DeMunno helped solidify NU’s draw in its first year sans midfielder Jill Girardi.
A U.S. U20 training team selection, Madison Smith worked under Amonte Hiller and her staff in both the summer and fall. The Tamalpais, California, native could potentially carve out an early role in just her freshman season.
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Twitter: @jakeepste1n
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