May 13, 2010

No. 2 Northwestern (17-1) vs. No. 14 Notre Dame (11-6)
2010 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship First Round
Saturday, May 15
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill. • 1 p.m.
TV: Big Ten Network (tape delayed at 9:30 p.m. Saturday evening)
Streaming Video: Wildcats All Access
Audio: WNUR 89.3 FM
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
2010 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament Central

Opening Draw
Northwestern begins the defense of its five-straight NCAA titles when it welcomes 14th-ranked Notre Dame to Lakeside Field for an NCAA first round showdown. Opening draw is set for 1 p.m.

Wildcats on the Web
Fans unable to make it to Evanston for this weekend's NCAA first round tilt can still follow every Wildcat goal. A free, live stream of the game will be broadcast at NUsports.com, with the Big Ten Network airing the contest at 9:30 p.m. CT Saturday night. WNUR will call the game live at 89.3 FM in the Evanston area and online at Sports.WNUR.org. Gametracker live stats will be available at NUsports.com while Twitter followers can receive in-game updates @NU_SportsLIVE.

Rocking Saturday on the Lakefront
With temperatures expected to be in the 60s and the forecast calling for partly cloudy skies Saturday, it should be a great day for fans to watch two of the nation's top lacrosse teams. With a sell-out possible, Wildcat fans are encouraged to arrive early to Lakeside Field to ensure themselves a seat.

Scouting the Fighting Irish
14th-ranked Notre Dame is 11-6 on the year and is coming off a four overtime 12-11 loss to Syracuse in the Big East tournament last weekend. This marks the third-straight year Notre Dame has earned a bid to the NCAA tournament. Senior Gina Scioscia leads the Fighting Irish with 59 points on the year, ranking second in both goals (38) and assists (21). Junior Shaylyn Blaney has been arguably Notre Dame's top all-around player on the year, leading the Irish in goals (40), draw controls (34) and caused turnovers (38) while ranking third in ground balls (36). Junior Kailene Abt has notched 28 goals on the year to go along with 10 assists with sophomore Maggie Tamasitis adding 17 goals and team-best 26 assists to the Fighting Irish offensive attack. Defensively, the tandem of senior Rachel Guerrera and junior Lauren Fenlon have combined for 42 ground balls and 32 caused turnovers while holding opponents to 9.20 goals per game. Freshman goalkeeper Ellie Hilling has recorded 122 saves on the year with a .431 save percentage and a 9.16 goals against average. Tracy Coyne is in her 14th season in South Bend with a 137-88 (.609) record and has compiled an overall record of 251-115 (.686) in her 23rd year as a head coach.

Series Information
Midwest rivals Northwestern and Notre Dame have gotten to know each other fairly well over the past few years as Saturday will marks the 12th meeting between the two and the fifth in the past three years. The Wildcats hold a 9-2 edge in the all-time series, riding a nine-game winning streak which includes a 15-5 victory over the Irish on March 30 at Lakeside Field. Danielle Spencer and Shannon Smith each notched four goals in the win, with Spencer dishing out three assists and Smith notching a pair of helpers. Northwestern is 6-1 against Notre Dame in Evanston, which includes a pair of NCAA first round victories (10-8 in 2004 and 15-7 in 2008).

Dowd Named A 2010 Tewaaraton Award Finalist
Katrina Dowd has been named one of the five finalists for the 2010 Tewaaraton Award, announced by the Greater Washington Sports Alliance. Dowd becomes the fourth Wildcat to be named a finalist for the sport's most prestigious honor, joining Kristen Kjellman, Hannah Nielsen and Christy Finch. Dowd, who recently was named the American Lacrosse Conference's Player of the Year and Championship MVP, continues to be one of the country's top players. She leads the nation in points per game (5.83), while ranking second in points (94), third in goals per game (3.88) and fifth in goals (66). Dowd also leads the Wildcats in ground balls (37) while ranking second in both draw controls (56) and caused turnovers (20).

Amonte Hiller, Dowd Earn ALC Coach, Player of the Year Honors
The American Lacrosse Conference has announce its end-of-season awards, and not surprisingly Northwestern racked up a number of honors. Kelly Amonte Hiller was tabbed as the ALC's Coach of the Year for the sixth time in her career while senior Katrina Dowd was named the conference's Player of the Year, marking the sixth-straight year that honor has gone to a Wildcat. In addition, six Northwestern players were named to the All-Conference teams, the most of any school. Dowd was joined on the ALC first team by fellow attackers Danielle Spencer and Shannon Smith, while midfielder Alexandra Frank and defenders Colleen Magarity and Taylor Thornton were named to the All-ALC second team. Thornton, coincidentally, finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Florida's Ashley Bruns.

For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.

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