|
Wildcats Win Conference Opener at Vandy, 15-8
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. -- A 7-0 Northwestern run early in the second half allowed the
top-ranked Wildcats to subdue Vanderbilt, 15-8, in their American
Lacrosse Conference opener Sunday in Nashville. Senior attacker Amanda
Macaluso sparked the 'Cats with career-bests of five points and three
goals on the afternoon.
Junior Alyssa Leonard also set a career
high with four goals and four points, while senior Taylor Thornton
dominated the midfield all afternoon with five draw controls, four
ground balls and a career-high five caused turnovers. The effort moved
her into fifth on NU's career list with 81 caused turnovers.
Right
alongside Thornton in the midfield was fellow senior Gabriella
Flibotte, who recorded one goal, four ground balls, four draw controls
and a career-best four caused turnovers to aid the Wildcats cause.
With
the win, Northwestern improved to 3-1 on the year heading into its 2013
home-opener, set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6 against Boston
College. NU head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller will be going for career win
No. 200 after raising her all-time mark to 199-31 Sunday against
Vanderbilt.
Freshman Christina Esposito chipped in the first two
goals of her Wildcats career while senior Erin Fitzgerald also came up
with a two-goal performance.
Macaluso opened the game's scoring
59 seconds into the contest when she worked her way from right to left
across the fan, finishing with a southpaw shot past Vandy GK Chelsea
Pasfield. After the Commodores answered on their first possession,
Macaluso set up Leonard for a quickstick goal at the 26:44 mark.
Leonard
made it back-to-back scores with a sidearm lefty shot from straightaway
just over one minute later, a goal that was followed up by an Erin
Fitzgerald solo effort that put the visitors in front, 4-1.
Pasfield
helped keep the Commodores' deficit at three with five saves in the
first 20 minutes, and Vanderbilt received a goal from Abby Wheeler at
the 9:57 mark to cut NU's lead to two. Only 37 seconds later, however,
Ali Cassera worked her way into the fan and scored her sixth goal of
the season to set the count at 5-2 in the Wildcats' favor.
The
waning minutes of the first half saw both teams struggle to maintain
possession, but NU added to its lead with two goals in the final 60
seconds of the stanza. An offsides violation against Vanderbilt set up
a Northwestern free position attempt, where Cassera fed Kelly Rich to
make it 6-3 NU. Off the ensuing draw, Leonard bounced home her third
goal of the game, and Bridget Bianco turned away a final Vandy 8-meter
attempt to preserve a 7-3 Wildcats advantage at the break.
Once
the second half began, Macaluso countered a Vanderbilt goal with her
second tally of the day, and the Wildcats made it a five-goal game with
Christina Esposito's 8-meter goal in a man-up situation. It was
Esposito's first career goal for the Wildcats.
Those two scores
proved to be the start of a 7-0 run that would break the game open for
the Wildcats, one that included a goal and an assist from Macaluso as
well as an unassisted left-handed goal by Fitzgerald that made it 12-4
Northwestern with 19 minutes to play.
Northwestern's defense
continued to give the Commodores fits throughout the second half,
suffocating Vandy on the ride and allowing only just three shots
through the first 24 minutes of the period. On offense, Kat DeRonda
created her own scoring opportunity for a goal while Esposito notched
her second off the 8-meter arc, while freshman Nancy Dunbar later set
up Leonard's fourth goal for her first career assist and the final NU
score of the day.
The Wildcats finished with a 15-10 advantage in draw controls and won the ground ball battle by a 24-22 margin.
In
addition to watching Amonte Hiller vie for win No. 200, Northwestern
fans are invited to the 'Cats' 2013 home-opener (Wednesday, March 6) to
help NU unveil its 2012 NCAA championship banner at Lakeside Field.
Northwestern also will be welcoming back to Evanston a pair of former
Wildcats in Acacia Walker and All-American midfielder Alex Frank,
currently the head coach and assistant coach, respectively, at Boston
College.
|
