Feb. 24, 2013
NASHVILLE – The Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team finished the busiest February in program history with a 15-8 defeat at the hands of top-ranked Northwestern Sunday in American Lacrosse Conference action at the VU Lacrosse Complex.
Vanderbilt kept the game close through the early going, trailing only by two with 2:15 remaining in the first half after a goal by freshman Kelly Chandler. But the Wildcats scored twice in the final minute of the first half, then scored seven straight after an early VU goal in the second stanza to extend their lead.
“The final score doesn’t really show the effort that we put into this game,” VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “Our team fought really hard and we’re very proud of how well they executed our game plan. We knew that Northwestern might make us struggle on our clear, but we still felt like going defensively strong was the right thing to do. But we’re pleased with our kids and how hard they fought.”
Senior attacker Carly Linthicum registered her fourth hat-trick of the season, scoring three goals. Junior Abby Wheeler and freshman Mallory Schonk scored two goals apiece, while freshman Alexa Kunowsky had two assists.
Chandler led the Commodores with five draw controls, matched only by NU’s Taylor Thornton. Defensively, senior Paige Cahill was credited with three caused turnovers and three ground balls. Senior goalkeeper Chelsea Pasfield had another great day between the pipes for the Commodores, stopping 15 Northwestern shots and coming up with three ground balls.
“Chelsea is just playing right on top of her game,” Swezey said. “We couldn’t be happier. Her first-half performance, especially–I think Northwestern started to feel like they weren’t going to find their shots, and that’s what it looked like.”
Alyssa Leonard led the Wildcats with four goals, while Amanda Macaluso had three goals and two assists.
Vanderbilt heads back out on the road next weekend to face No. 7 Duke. The matchup between the Commodores and Blue Devils is scheduled to be broadcast live on ESPN3.com on Saturday, March 2, at 1 p.m. CT.
