Sophomore Shannon Smith (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) led a balanced offensive attack for Northwestern, recording six goals and dishing out three assists as NU roared past Massachusetts 18-6 in its season opener. Senior Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) also added five goals as nine different Wildcats recorded points on the evening.
Northwestern Attacker Shannon Smith became the seventh player in program history to record nine points in a game.
Smith, who set personal bests in points, goals and assists, struck quickly for the Wildcats (1-0), notching the first goal of the 2010 season with just over two minutes gone in the opening half. Her goal helped spark a seven-goal outburst over a 16-minute period as the ‘Cats pounced to the 7-0 lead midway through the opening stanza. Smith would tally two more goals during the run, with junior Brooke Matthews (Baltimore, Md./Friends School), sophomores Lacey Vigmostad (Northport, N.Y./Northport) and Alexandra Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) and Spencer each notching a tally.
The Minutewomen (0-1) answered back with a pair of goals 38 seconds apart to cut the deficit to five at 7-2, but all that did was fuel the Northwestern fire. The reigning champs responded with a pair of goals from both Smith and Spencer that spanned 64 seconds to reclaim momentum with an 11-2 lead. Spencer would add her fourth of the half, which was complimented by a goal from freshman Erin Fitzgerald (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai) and another from Frank, giving Northwestern the 14-3 break at the half.
Northwestern retained control of the second half as well, as goals by Frank and Spencer within the opening 90 seconds gave the Wildcats a 16-3 lead. Both the Minutewomen and Wildcats exchanged goals for the remainder of the game, with Smith, Spencer and sophomore Lizzie Abramson (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) rounding out the scoring for NU. Matthews and freshman Taylor Thornton (Dallas, Texas/Hockaday School) each added an assist for the ‘Cats.
With her nine points on the night, Smith becomes just the seventh player in program history to accomplish the feat and the first since Hannah Nielsen dropped nine on Syracuse last season. Her six draw controls is also a personal-best.
Frank also set personal highs with her three goals and two assists, while her five caused turnovers is also a career-high. She becomes just the fourth player in Northwestern history to record five caused turnovers and the first since Christy Finch in 2008.
Northwestern dominated Massachusetts in nearly every statistical category, outshooting the Minutewomen 37-14 while holding a 21-5 edge in draw controls. UMass did have a 13-3 save advantage on NU as sophomore Brianne LoManto (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point) recorded three saves while allowing just three goals in nearly 40 minutes of work.
With the victory, Northwestern improved to 9-1 all-time against Massachusetts and extending its winning streak over the Minutewomen to nine games. It also extended the Wildcats’ consecutive victory streak to 30 games, marking the third 30-game wining streak in program history.
The game, a rematch of last year’s NCAA first-round matchup, was the showcase game of the 2010 WomensLax.com Surfside Cup at Rancho Bernardo High School. The crowd of 1,315 fans was treated to a great game on a pleasant southern California evening, with the exception of a 10-minute rain downpour midway through the second half.
The Wildcats now have a few weeks off to make any necessary adjustments before returning the West Coast at the end of the month. Northwestern heads to northern California to take on Stanford and California on Feb. 26 and 28.
http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/w-lacros/recaps/020710aaa.html
laxbuzz
