Feb. 25, 2007
Photo Gallery by Neil Brake
The two time defending national champion Northwestern Wildcats handed No. 19 Vanderbilt its first loss of the season, 20-2, at the VU Lacrosse Complex on Sunday.
“Obviously we just played one of the best teams in the country,” VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “And unfortunately we did not perform at our best. But it is important that our team and fans realize that one game does not define a season. We will come back from this and be stronger for it.”
Led by sophomore Meredith Frank and senior Kristen Kjellman, Northwestern found the back of the net eight times in the first 13 minutes of play. The Wildcats outshot the Commodores (1-1, 0-1) 19-9 in the first half en route to a 13-0 halftime lead.
Northwestern would increase that lead to 15-0 in the second half before junior Ali Lemons notched the first goal for Vanderbilt with 15:39 remaining. Freshman Anastasia Adams continued her impressive play scoring the second goal of the game for the Commodores off an assist from junior Margie Curran with 1:36 to go.
But it was an afternoon that belonged to the Wildcats. Frank led all scorers with five goals, while Kjellman added four goals and three assists on the day. Sophomore Hannah Nielsen also recorded five points on the day, tallying two goals and three assists.
Despite slowing down the momentum in the second half, it was still a dominant performance for Northwestern. The Wildcats outscored Vanderbilt 7-2 in the second half, as Sophomore goaltender Morgan Lathrop stopped 11 shots and failed to give up a goal through 47 minutes of play.
With the loss, Vanderbilt falls to 1-1 on the season and drops to 0-1 in American Lacrosse Conference play. The Commodores hit the road this upcoming weekend as they travel to Pittsburgh, PA to face Duquense. The opening draw will be Sunday, March 5 at 11:00 a.m. CST.
