As if there was any doubt, Northwestern women’s lacrosse proved exactly why it is the top team in the nation Friday night.
The five-time national champion kept its 40-game winning streak alive with a 12-8 victory over No. 6 Penn — the last team to tally a victory over the Wildcats in back in 2008.
Right off the first draw, senior Danielle Spencer grabbed possession for the Wildcats (10-0). And with eight of her team’s 15 draw controls over the course of the game, the 6-foot-2 center played a crucial role in jump-starting Northwestern’s high-powered offense.
“If you don’t get the draws, you don’t get the ball,” Penn coach Karin Brower Corbett said. “The more they have the ball, the more opportunities they have to score.”
And the Wildcats capitalized on those opportunities early and often, as they netted two goals in the first nine minutes of play.
Penn (9-3, 3-0 Ivy) was quick to tie it up with an unassisted goal from lefty sophomore Erin Brennan and a sunk free position shot from senior co-captain Ali DeLuca halfway through the first. But Northwestern answered back with two consecutive goals of its own, putting the Wildcats ahead 4-2 at the half.
“It’s their style of their defense. You can’t relax on attack. You can’t settle the ball so you’re always going, going, going,” Corbett said. “They work for you to make that third, fourth pass that you’re going to miss.”
As a result of high-pressure defense — and a high level of intensity from both teams’ players and benches — the Wildcats committed 25 fouls, six of which put the Quakers on the line. Penn, however, was unable to make the most of these free position shots, netting only two.“If we hit those eight meters, it’d be a whole different ball game,” DeLuca said. “It was definitely back and forth and I think the big factor for us was eight meters.”
Senior Emma Spiro missed her free position shot in the beginning of the second half but was able to recover as she assisted teammate Megan Smith’s goal, putting the Quakers within one for the last time of the night. The Wildcats were quick to retaliate and over the next ten minutes embarked on an offensive spree.
“When you play high tempo, you can score goals. It’s not challenging to go on a run or something like that,” Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “Penn plays unbelievable defense. They really did a great job today.”
But the Penn defense, which held a Northwestern opponent that averages 16.36 goals per game to just four in the first half, was nowhere to be found in the second half, as the Wildcats utilized their effective play around the crease to string together a five goal scoring streak to put them ahead, 9-3.
The teams exchanged goals for the remaining thirteen minutes. With the score at 10-6, Penn senior Courtney Lubbe rolled the crease to give the Wildcats a taste of their own medicine and bring her squad within three with five minutes left on the clock.
But Northwestern pushed back once again, as Spencer proved herself an offensive threat as well, netting her first goal of the game. Freshman Maddie Poplawski answered the Wildcat’s goal with one of her own, but Spencer struck once again, and with 33 seconds remaining, scored the final goal of the game.
The Wildcats have ended Penn’s season in the NCAA tournament for the past three years, and the Quakers are well aware of their chances of seeing them again in the post season.
“The national championship is through them,” Corbett said. “We’d like to see them again and capitalize on those eight meters and maybe we’ll have a different outcome.”
