May 11, 2008

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Led by eight points from junior Hilary Bowen (Rochester, N.Y./Rochester) and seven from junior Hannah Nielsen (Adelaide, Australia/Brighton Secondary), top-seeded Northwestern turned a 5-5 halftime tie into a convincing 15-7 victory over ninth-ranked Notre Dame in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship. The Wildcats (18-1) will now host the eighth-seeded Princeton Tigers in the quarterfinals next Saturday.

NU was expecting a different Fighting Irish (12-7) club that it defeated 16-2 back on April 9, and they got exactly that as Notre Dame came out aggressive from the opening draw as a goal from Bowen was the only offense the Wildcats could muster in the first 20 minutes with the Irish building a 3-1 lead. Nielsen cut the deficit to one with just under nine minutes left in the half, only to see Notre Dame answer back thirty seconds later to extend its advantage to 4-2.

The Wildcats made a run at the end of the first half, as goals by Bowen and freshman Brooke Matthews (Baltimore, Md./Friends School) less than a minute apart drew Northwestern even at four. The Irish would go back on top 5-4 with three minutes left, and it appeared they would hold that cushion heading into the break. But Bowen cut through the arc and alluded a handful of defenders to put a shot into the back of the net to knot the game at five.

After having to play into a strong headwind in the first, the Wildcats were hoping to use the now-strong tailwind as an advantage, and it seemed to do the trick. Goals by junior Katrina Dowd (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown), Nielsen and a pair from Bowen broke the game open for Northwestern at 9-5.

Notre Dame would trim the `Cats lead to three at 9-6, but that was as close as the Irish would get before Nielsen took over. The junior would net the next four goals for Northwestern, including an incredible behind-the-back goal off a feed from Bowen, to punch the Wildcats' ticket to the quarterfinals.

With sophomore Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) out of the lineup, Bowen and Nielsen took over. The eight points (five goals, three assists) for Bowen matches the season-high she set at Ohio State on March 14, and the six goals for Nielsen was her best output of the year. The two continue to climb up the Wildcat record books as Nielsen moves into fourth-place on the all-time points list (241) while Bowen moves into sixth (218). The duo kept their consecutive points streak alive (41 games) while Bowen extended her consecutive goals streak to 37 games. Her 69 goals on the season is the third-best single season performance in Wildcat history, while Nielsen's 54 assists is tied for the second-best single season output.

Dowd finished with a pair of goals on the afternoon while junior Casey Donohoe (Jarrettsvile, Md./Notre Dame Prep) recorded a goal and an assist for Northwestern, which extended its NCAA record home-field winning streak to 43 games. Senior defender Christy Finch (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) caused three Irish turnovers while junior goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop (Briarcliff, N.Y./The Hackley School) recorded eight saves.

Northwestern now prepares to meet eighth-seeded Princeton (13-4), which defeated Vanderbilt 14-10 Sunday afternoon in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, May 17 at Lakeside Field.