Long after night fell upon No. 1 Northwestern’s climate-controlled palace on Lake Michigan, No. 10 Denver’s Ryan Fieldhouse invasion charged forward into Friday’s second half. Despite a formidable challenge, the Lake Show ultimately prevailed in a 14-10 victory.
Once down 5-1, the Pioneers (3-3, 0-0 Big East) rattled off five consecutive conversions to capture a 6-5 lead less than two minutes into the second half. The Wildcats (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) were reeling and lost three consecutive draw controls as Denver defender Trinity McPherson propelled her squad upfield.
“Denver came in and played a great game,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “They fought really hard … every step of the way. Our players stayed in the fight.”
While Pioneer attacker Julia Gilbert knocked on the doorstep of her second goal in less than three minutes, NU graduate student goalkeeper Molly Laliberty made an acrobatic save appear routine, denying a pivotal chance to stretch the lead.
Draped in her black alternate armor, Laliberty snatched several sure-fire goals out of thin air throughout the contest. The sixth-year eclipsed 600 career saves during the first half, marking a rarified road trodden from the Division III NESCAC ranks to Division I’s premier powerhouse.
“The defense I have here and the defense I had at Tufts — they’re the ones who made this possible,” Laliberty said. “It means a lot in terms of the fact that I feel very grateful and very lucky to play with the people I’ve played with throughout my career.”
Laliberty tallied two more saves and stymied two eight-meter opportunities before graduate student attacker Izzy Scane put the hosts ahead 7-6 with seven minutes remaining in the period.
As she consistently answered the bell for her squad, Laliberty said she pondered just how vital Friday’s experience would prove, especially come tournament time later in the season.
“These are the games we dream of … these are the games we want to play,” Laliberty said. “That’s why you come and play lacrosse at one of the highest levels in the country. I had that thought during the game. This is great for March, I can’t wait to see what May holds.”
In a physical battle between two top-10 foes, Denver committed 36 fouls, while NU took 18 free-position shots and packed just enough firepower to quash the upset effort.
After sophomore attacker Madison Taylor cut through traffic to elude the patented Pioneer zone and receive graduate student attacker Lindsey Frank’s feed on her dominant left hand, a point-blank finish she’d perfected since she first picked up a lacrosse stick lay in front of her.
Falling forward toward the crease, Taylor buried her hat trick goal with three minutes left in the third frame, giving the ’Cats an 8-7 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
“We knew coming into this game, they were gonna be aggressive, but it wasn’t going to affect us,” Taylor said. “We’re just going to play even harder and show that you can be aggressive as you want with us, and we’ll still score.”
Taylor’s five goals and one assist paced NU’s offense Friday, and she converted 4-of-4 free-position shots against Denver’s goalkeeping stalwart Emelia Bohi. Taylor’s final backbreaking goal from the eight-meter stretched the hosts’ advantage to 13-9 with less than four minutes to play.
Amonte Hiller said Taylor, a player who has scored a team-high 28 goals this season, showed she was primed to make an essential second-year leap from her Big Ten Freshman of the Year the moment she stepped on campus for fall-ball.
“She was very confident in what she was doing,” Amonte Hiller said. “She really cares a ton about this team and brings great energy. She just comes to play all the time. She’s very consistent. That’s what you want in a player … she’s not afraid to take a risk and make a play.”
Although the Pioneers threw the ’Cats off the tracks with 19 turnovers, NU commanded a 17-11 draw circle advantage, and Laliberty championed a spirited defensive effort without junior defender Sammy White — who missed her second consecutive game due to a lower-body injury.
Amonte Hiller said plenty of players contributed to the defensive scheme.
“We saw a lot of great things from them,” Amonte Hiller said. “There was a lot of learning — a lot of data there. We’re gonna continue to look at that and go back to the drawing board.”
The ’Cats will return to Ryan Fieldhouse Sunday for a midday matchup with Albany. The Great Danes (1-5, 0-0 America East) have struggled to find their footing this season, but Albany midfielder Katie Pascale and attacker Haley Phalines present a significant test on the draw.
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