Pregame
Welcome to the NCAA Quarterfinals live blog! The Northwestern Wildcats are a game away from the Final Four in Towson, Maryland. To get there, they will have to get past the Princeton Tigers, the No. 8 team in the nation.
It’s a b-e-a-utiful day here at Lakeside Field. We’re about get started.
Princeton advanced past NU’s ALC rival Vanderbilt, 14-10, in the last round. Now they will have to go through a much stronger Northwestern team. The Tigers have a Teewaaraton Trophy finalist in Holly McGarvie, the junior midfielder who leads the Tigers in shots on goal.
Northwestern has two Teewaaraton finals of their own, junior M Hannah Nielsen and senior Defender Christy Finch, not to mention their leading scorer Hilary Bowen. Nielsen set the NU career assist record in the ALC tournament and has not slowed her pace since. She had seven points in the game against Notre Dame, and her cohort Bowen added eight of her own. The two have recorded points (either a goal or an assist) in 43 straight games. Bowen has scored in 37 straight.
If the ‘Cats win this game, the Northwestern senior class will have never lost in Evanston. They have won 42 consecutive games.
Here it is: the NCAA quarterfinals.
In-game
27:23
The ‘Cats play really sloppy early, but will themselves to a fantastic goal! A lot of turnovers near the net, but the ‘Cats rebound and get a wide-open shot as the goalie is out of the net. Donahoe is on the board first after an early turnover.
1-0 NU
25:44
The Wildcats are all over the Tigers at the start of this one. Hilary Bowen was double-covered in the middle of the fan (think basketball’s “key”) and split both defenders with an impossible move and shot side-armed into the right side of the net for a highlight-reel goal. Then, a dozen seconds later, a goal from Nielsen. This is the most dangerous duo in the NCAA.
3-0 NU
(A note: We haven’t seen Danielle Spencer yet… Maybe her injury from the Vanderbilt game is holding her out until the next round?)
22:03
The Tigers get on the board, with a goal from Lizzie Drumm. It was a pretty great shot — Lathrop made a play on it but it was too good in the top shelf. They made a key defensive stand at their end, and got a stick on a great pass from Nielsen to Frank in front of the goal. They make that turnover a goal, and it’s now 3-1. It took five and a half minutes for Princeton to advance the ball into Northwestern territory, but they are on the board.
3-1 NU
18:50
Northwestern continues to capitalize on Princeton’s sloppy play. Katrina Dowd makes a good play in front of the goal, and puts in an easy goal for 4-1. Next, a Princeton Midfielder was caught off-guard trying to catch a pass from her teammate, and Brooke Matthews literally sprinted across the entire field, beating the whole Princeton defense by herself. She put in a goal herself, in the goal of the game. Oh, by the way, she’s a FRESHMAN! Katrina Dowd snuck in and got her second goal — her 37th of the year. 37 goals and she’s only the fourth-leading scorer on this Northwestern offense. She would literally be the leading scorer on the Princeton offense. Wow.
6-1 NU
12:18
There’s been a Danielle Spencer sighting. She’s in the game for the first time since her ankle injury in the ALC tournament. Morgan Lathrop has finally been tested, and has two saves on the Tigers’ five shots. They got one more goal a few minutes ago, cutting the lead to four.
6-2 NU
7:32
Princeton cuts the lead to three with a goal from Kristin “Charles” Schwab (I just made that up, don’t worry about it), but then Brooke Matthews continued her gazelle impersonation and beat at least four defenders to get her second goal. Danielle Spencer is looking rusty, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting the play of the ‘Cats as a unit… Definitely not Hannah Nielsen, who just got an unassisted goal to put the ‘Cats up by five. There is no stopping this offensive unit.
8-3 NU
3:13
Watching Northwestern Lacrosse is like watching Lebron James. They are so overwhelming, athletic, and creative offensively that you never can guess what’s coming. Hannah Nielsen made a great pass into the crease, and Casey Donahoe literally shot behind her back for a goal — the second straight game the ‘Cats did this (Nielsen did it against Notre Dame as well). Donahoe added another goal, but only a boring overhand shot… sigh. Hat trick for Casey Donahoe in the first half.
10-3 NU.
Halftime:
A brief halftime update as your boy is going to go outside and catch some sunlight. Northwestern added another goal by Danielle Spencer, her first since her injury. Princeton added another goal themselves, a crazy shot with only one second left in the half that bounced off the post and in. Northwestern is thoroughly in charge at this point, despite that late effort. Northwestern is deadly accurate — 11 goals on 16 shots. Princeton only has 8 shots, and Lathrop has saved three of those shots (they converted four goals themselves).
11-4 NU. Stay tuned for the last half of the season in Evanston. If you haven’t made it to Lakeside Field, get off that computer and come to North Campus. You won’t regret it!
2nd half:
24:28
Princeton starts the second half continuing the momentum from the end of the first half, scoring fast off a free-possession that Lathrop was defenseless against. However, Dowd put in another goal, her third, and Northwestern keeps their big lead intact.
3 of the Final Four are set to go to Towson next week. Duke will play Penn — Duke beat NU to end their undefeated season back in 2006, and Penn took ours away this season — in a battle of NU’s nemeses. Syracuse advanced past UNC, and will take on the winner of this one. Duke upset Maryland, which must upset Coach Amonte Hiller, the UMD alum who surely wants a piece of her alma mater.
12-5 NU
21:18
Hannah Nielsen gets the ball at the top of the fan, and looks like she underhands it to Hilary Bowen in a misdirection. The ball left her pocket, but to the dismay of the Princeton GK Erin Tochihara, the ball came back in Nielsen’s stick and she whipped a shot past the goalie after she rolled past the defense. Teewaaraton Trophy, anyone?
More evidence for the committee: Danielle Spencer scores, with another assist from NU’s top all-time passer Hannah Nielsen. Spencer on the board twice in limited minutes.
14-5 NU
15:00
Two more — First, Ali Jacobs bounces a ball past Tochihara, who gets yanked in favor of Kaitlyn Perrelle, the starting goalie for 15 games this season. You have to wonder what the Princeton coach was thinking keeping her freshman goalie in for so long against the best offense in the nation. Then, not much of a difference — Hilary Bowen scores unassisted for her second. She’s had a quiet game by her standards, with two and two (goals and assists).
Princeton gets a little boost with a quick goal by Kristin Morrison with 13:30 to play. The ‘Cats are up by ten, so NCAA rules dictate that the clock continues to run unless a timeout is called. This bodes well for the ‘Cats, who are on fire once again.
16-6 NU
9:09
Princeton has put together a little bit of a run, getting a few goals and cutting the lead to less than ten, so that the clock can stop after goals and on referees’ whistles. They got two goals and are just playing harder than the casual Northwestern, who has put in a few reserves. Hilary Bowen did get a hat trick, giving the ‘Cats three players with a hat trick today.
18-7 NU
1:30
Northwestern has let up a little on defense, and Princeton has scored three unanswered goals as a lot of NU reserves get in the game. The ‘Cats are on their way to play Syracuse in the next round, whom they beat 19-7 on the road earlier in the season. The Tigers get another goal, which has to upset Morgan Lathrop a little bit.
Oh well, the ‘Cats go up 18-11 for good. That’s the final.
Northwestern has not lost in 44 straight tries in Evanston. That means that the Northwestern seniors have not lost a home game in their time at Northwestern. Wow.
That’s all for me today. I will be in Towson for a liveblog as long as the ‘Cats are still in it — and they are poised to go very far. Stay tuned for a game next Friday as the ‘Cats go for their fourth national title in as many years. Road trip, anyone?