Northwestern women’s lacrosse set to take on Syracuse in NCAA semifinals
EVANSTON, Ill. (BVM) — The Northwestern women’s lacrosse program is certainly no stranger to success. From 2005 to 2012, the Wildcats won seven national championships, with the only blemish being a runner-up finish in 2010.
However, a national semifinal appearance in the following year of 2013 would be the team’s last until the 2019 season. Then came the pause of the 2020 season, making it another year Northwestern went without a title.
In the 2021 season, though, the Wildcats have had perhaps one of their best campaigns since their dynasty run. Although there may have been some postponements along the way, Northwestern has gone a perfect 15-0 this season, with 11 of those wins coming within the Big Ten conference.
After beating Maryland to win the Big Ten tournament earlier this month, the Wildcats cruised past their second round NCAA tournament opponent in Denver with a 19-4 win. Then came a matchup with traditional power Duke in the quarterfinals.
The game was another easy win for Northwestern, as the Cats strolled to a 22-10 final. Lauren Gilbert and Izzy Scane led the way with six and five goals a piece.
Lauren 👏 Gilbert 👏 Automatic 👏#GoCats | @NCAALAX pic.twitter.com/YW26f2Jifc
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) May 22, 2021
On the other end, Jill Girardi and Sammy Mueller each had three steals.
Although the Blue Devils took an early 2-0 lead, and held a 6-1 advantage at one point, it wasn’t before long that Northwestern responded with a 5-0 run.
“Obviously, we would’ve liked to come out a little stronger, but we did match their intensity and were able to come out with a convincing win,” Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said in a press conference earlier this week.
With the score 12-8 at the break, Duke needed a strong second half, and they got anything but as the Wildcats dominated the final frame, 10-2.
SEE YOU IN BALTIMORE ‼️#GoCats | @NCAALAX pic.twitter.com/kA2bMmsCZW
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) May 22, 2021
Northwestern finished the game with 18 more shot opportunities than Duke, and also forced seven more turnovers. Amonte Hiller is no stranger to success, and she is proud of how far this year’s team has come despite the adversity they have faced.
“I think every athlete and every coach that is participating in this final four is just so absolutely grateful to have the opportunity,” Amonte Hiller said. “It’s been a challenging year. For us in the Big Ten, we didn’t even have a schedule until a week before the season. We were just appreciative to have games and to get to this point, we’re just super grateful.”
Now, Northwestern will do battle in the semifinals with Syracuse. Coach Gary Gait and the Orange are 16-3 overall on the season, and are coming off a couple of nice wins of their own against Loyola Maryland and Florida. These two powerhouse programs have faced off plenty in the past, and should provide an entertaining matchup yet again.
“I know Gary well and just have a ton of respect for him and the way he coaches his team,” Amonte Hiller said. “When you have a great program and you lose people, other people have to step up and that’s what they’ve done. You know them, but you still have to get to know this particular team and I think the chemistry of every team is different. We’ve had some great battles the last two years and I expect this to be the same.”
The contest will take place Friday afternoon, with the winner going on to face either North Carolina or Boston College in Sunday’s national championship. With the Wildcats having a truly special season coupled with the tremendous success this program has had, it would not be a surprise to anyone to see Northwestern back at the top of the mountain come the end of the weekend. For now, they’re just happy to have a chance.
“We’re very excited to be back in this moment,” Amonte Hiller said.
