Feb. 27, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 11 Commodores will host ALC foe and No. 1 Northwestern at 5 p.m. CT today in the VU Lacrosse Complex in the final contest of their three-game home stand. The Wildcats enter the tilt 3-0 and fresh from a 21-5 win over at No. 12 Notre Dame on Feb. 20.
The `Dores (1-1) face the `Cats after downing UMBC 15-6 on Feb. 21. Freshman Goalkeeper Natalie Wills recorded the first win of her collegiate career after starting in place of an injured Rachel Woolford. Attacker Sarah Downing netted five goals and dished two assists in the winning effort.
Northwestern holds a 3-5 advantage in the overall series, including two wins against Vanderbilt in 2008. Coach Cathy Swezey’s team lost at Northwestern in the regular season, and fell to the eventual National Champions in the ALC Tournament Championship game.
The Wildcats are picked to finish first in the American Lacrosse Conference this season, while seniors Hannah Nielsen, Hilary Bowen, Morgan Lathrop and Meredith Frank and junior Danielle Spencer made the ALC preseason team. NU has also won 23 consecutive conference games and hasn’t not lost since the final regular-season game of 2004.
Tune into VUcommodores.com’s live stats to follow the Commodores as they open conference play.