Feb. 17, 2011

No. 2 Northwestern at No. 10 Notre Dame
Date: Saturday, February 19 • 4 p.m. CT
Site: Loftus Sports Center • South Bend, Ind.
Records: Northwestern (0-0, 0-0 ALC); Notre Dame (1-1, 0-0 Big East)

Gametracker: UND.com
In-Game Twitter Updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Lacrosse Game Notes (PDF)
2011 Northwestern Lacrosse Official Yearbook

Opening Draw
Northwestern opens the 2011 season this weekend, traveling to South Bend, Ind., to face 10th-ranked Notre Dame at 4 p.m. CT Saturday, Feb. 19. The game will be a rematch of last season’s NCAA first round match-up won by the Wildcats 19-7.

Scouting the Fighting Irish
2011: 1-1 overall, 0-0 at home. Ranked 10th in this week’s IWLCA poll.
Last Week: W at California (20-6), L at Stanford (12-13).
Head Coach: Tracy Coyne (Ohio, 1983). 15th season at Notre Dame (138-90, .605); 24th season overall (252-116, .685).
Key Players: Jenny Granger (So.,M): 6 goals, 2 assists, 6 draw controls, 3 ground balls; Maggie Tamasitis (Jr., A): 3 goals, 5 assists; Kaitlin Keena (Sr., M): 4 goals, 2 assists, 2 draw controls, 2 caused turnovers, Kaitlyn Brosco (Fr., M): 4 goals, 3 draw controls; Jackie Doherty (Sr., D): 6 ground balls, 5 draw controls; Ellie Hilling (So., GK): 21 saves, .525 save pct., 9.52 goals against average.

Series Information
The Northwestern-Notre Dame series is one of the longest in Wildcat history as Saturday marks the 13th meeting between the Midwestern rivals. Northwestern has won the last 10 games between the two, including a pair of decisions over Notre Dame in Evanston last season. The Wildcats won the regular season meeting 15-5 before taking down the Irish 19-7 in the NCAA first round at Lakeside Field. Northwestern is 3-1 all-time against Notre Dame in South Bend.

2011 Marks Northwestern’s 10th Year of Lacrosse
When the Wildcats take to the field Saturday against Notre Dame, it will mark the beginning of Northwestern’s 10th year of Division I lacrosse after regaining varsity status in 2002. Northwestern sponsored varsity lacrosse previously from 1982-1992, making five NCAA tournament appearances during that span. The Wildcats were then relegated to club status from 1993-2001 before Kelly Amonte Hiller took on the task of restoring Northwestern to a varsity program, resulting in a national championship three seasons later.

Wildcats Ranked Second in IWLCA Preseason Poll
Northwestern begins the 2011 season ranked second in the IWLCA preseason coaches poll. The Wildcats, who earned one first place vote, tallied 377 points and sit behind only Maryland (399 points), with North Carolina, Duke, Syracuse, Penn, Georgetown, Virginia, James Madison and Notre Dame rounding out the top-10. The Wildcats are one of four American Lacrosse Conference schools in the top-20 with Vanderbilt checking in at 11th and Penn State and Florida earning the nod at 16th and 17th. Of the 19 remaining teams, Northwestern faces 10 of them, including eight of the remaining top-10, during the course of the 2011 season with three games against teams receiving votes (Johns Hopkins, Navy and William & Mary).

Northwestern Tabbed Favorite in ALC Preseason Poll
Northwestern was voted the unanimous favorite to repeat as American Lacrosse Conference champions in the preseason ALC poll. The Wildcats have won the last six ALC crowns and enter the 2011 season having won 36 consecutive conference games, dating back to the 2005 season. Four Wildcats were also named to the All-ALC preseason team as Colleen Magarity, Alex Frank, Shannon Smith and Taylor Thornton make up the Northwestern contingent. Smith was a first team All-ALC selection in 2010 with the other three earning second team honors.

Amonte Hiller Named Top-20 Recruiter By ESPNU
Accolades are nothing new to Kelly Amonte Hiller, but now she has another one to add to her resume. Amonte Hiller was named as one of the top-20 recruiters by ESPNU and ESPN the Magazine, and is the only lacrosse coach to make the list. Amonte Hiller checks in at 19th in the ranking, which was compiled by three dozen experts in collegiate sports and recruiting. Amonte Hiller is one of four coaches from Big Ten schools on the list, joining Penn State’s Russ Rose, Ohio State’s Thad Matta and Minnesota’s J Robinson.

2011 Northwestern Season Tickets On Sale Now
The Wildcats have seven home dates at beautiful Lakeside Field this spring, including four games against 2010 NCAA tournament teams and a pair of American Lacrosse Conference matches. Thanks to the support of Northwestern’s passionate fan base, the Wildcats have led the nation in attendance for the past two seasons, averaging just under 1,000 fans per home game in 2010. The Wildcats set an NCAA record by winning 58 consecutive home games from 2004 through 2010 and each of the Wildcats’ 2010 home games were televised either live or on tape delay by the Big Ten Network last year, adding to an already electric game day atmosphere. Adult season tickets for the 2011 campaign are $40, with youth season tickets priced at $25 for fans 18 and younger. A Family Plan is also available for $80, which admits two adults and three children to all seven Northwestern home games. Season tickets can be purchased by contacting the Northwestern ticket office at 888-GO-PURPLE or clicking the ticket link at NUsports.com.

For the complete Notre Dame game notes, click the PDF link above.

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