Sunday, May 25 2008
TOWSON, Md.- Over the past two years Northwestern has been the one roadblock for the women's lacrosse team.
Coming into tonight's NCAA final, Northwestern had given Penn two of the team's three losses since the start of the 2007 campaign.
And after tonight, Northwestern still remains Penn's fly in the ointment.
Leading for just three-and-a-half of the game's 60 minutes, the Quakers yet again fell to the Wildcats, this time losing 10-6 in front of a Johnny Unitas Stadium crowd of 6,125 - a record for a championship game.
It was Northwestern's fourth consecutive National Championship, while it was the first-ever NCAA final berth for any Penn team.
"This is an incredible feeling winning a 4th straight championship," Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte-Hiller said. "Penn gave us an incredible game. They are very well-coached and it was quite a challenge to beat them.
"Four in a row? Wow - it really feels great. I'm at a loss for words. It makes me so proud to be part of Northwestern University."
Northwestern (21-1) was led by its outstanding junior duo of Hilary Bowen (3 goals, one assist) and Hannah Nielsen (3g, 3a). Bowen also tied a record with 17 total goals in the NCAA tournament, earning her second-straight Most Outstanding Player award.
"I'm not even thinking about [the MOP] now," Bowen said. "Coming into the game, we knew everyone would have to contribute and this would be a team win. Every individual did their part and we won another championship."
For Penn (17-2), this game was a disappointing end to a historic season. This year Penn earned its first ever No. 1 national ranking, its first win at Princeton since 1986, its longest winning streak (15 games) and its furthest run in the NCAAs.
"Not only did we make history for our program, we made history for our university, which is really exciting," senior attack Rachel Manson said.
"We couldn't be prouder of ourselves. Our team worked very hard to be here, but unfortunately we didn't come out with the win. Northwestern is a great team and we give them all the credit that they deserve."
The 10-6 score tied both the season-high for goals allowed and the season-low for goals scored. Individually, the Quakers were led by sophomore Ali DeLuca who had two goals and was the only Quaker to earn more than one point. The team also failed to record a single assist.
Ironically, if Penn coach Karin Brower had been told before the game that the final score would be 10-6, she probably would've thought that Penn would be the victor. That's because the Quakers play a slow deliberate style, averaging roughly 10 goals a game and giving up only six. In fact, when Penn last played Northwestern, the score was 11-7 in favor of Penn.
This change of pace was not lost on the Wildcats.
"I think we remember our first game against Penn," Bowen said. "We had some turnovers and forced things. So today we wanted to slow it down and play a little of their game."
Also different for the Wildcats was goalkeeper Morgan Lanthrop's play. The junior gave up 11 goals against Penn on April 27, but she matched that number last night - not with number of goals allowed, but with number of saves. Those 11 saves tied her season-high.
"Our defense really played great," Lanthrop said. "They did a great job rattling them when they took their shots. It was important to me that I play well and I was happy with how I played."
Lanthrop - as well as the entire Wildcat defense - frustrated Penn's attackers throughout the entire night.
"We had our chances," said Penn senior attack Melissa Lehman who was held without a point for the first time this year. "We were getting into the lane but I think we just rushed our shots . And if you want to score, you can't be rushed."
Northwestern's streak of four straight NCAA championships is only the second longest such streak. Maryland won seven straight from 1995 to 2001. Interestingly, Amonte-Hiller was a two-time national champion for the Terps. Yet she believes that her Northwestern teams' feat is just as impressive.
"I think it's a completely different world in women's lacrosse now," she said. "There are so many good teams and Penn is among them. The sport keeps growing. Back when I played at Maryland, we were the top seed and we got a bye into the Final Four. Truly, it was much easier back then. Now, you have to play four good teams to win the championship."
While their run clearly hasn't come close to Northwestern's, the Quakers are also at the pinnacle of their program's success, as the last two years have literally been the two best in Penn history. And Brower was quick to point to the graduating seniors as the key to the program's meteoric rise.
"I think these seven seniors are leaving a legacy of working hard," Brower said. These seven have gone out and done extra . I think they set an excellent example which will help keep Penn on top."
