The Evanston Express rolled on last night as No. 1 Northwestern took an early lead and defensively smothered yet another opponent en route to an 8-4 victory over No. 4 Dartmouth in an NCAA Division I women's lacrosse semifinal at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Before 3,218 rain-soaked fans, the Wildcats, from Evanston, Ill. just north of Chicago, improved to 20-0 and became the first team from outside the Eastern time zone to advance to the title game.
Northwestern, in just the fourth year of its return to varsity status after a 10-year hiatus, will play No. 6 and defending national champion Virginia for the title tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.
"This is our new tradition. This is our new program," said Wildcats coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, the former Maryland All-American who began rebuilding the program by coaching the Northwestern club team in 2001. "We're just so pleased how quickly the girls have come along ... as a team. I think our coaching staff couldn't be happier."
Last night in their first appearance in the final four, the Wildcats scored the first four goals of the game and held Dartmouth (16-3) to its lowest offensive output of the season.
With Courtney Koester dominating the draws and defensive pressure forcing many of the Big Green's 25 turnovers, the Wildcats dominated possession most of the way. When it did have the ball, the Big Green had trouble getting to the goal. Dartmouth managed just 11 shots the entire game.
"They limited us to not enough shots, and that was the difference in the game. If you look at stats, you're not going to win a game with 11 shots," said Dartmouth coach Amy Patton, also a former Maryland All-American.
While the Wildcats finished the game with only six caused turnovers, their quick-to-double defense often forced the Big Green players to give up the ball sooner than they would have liked, resulting in errant passes.
"They go really hard to goal," said Amonte Hiller, "so we wanted to make sure we got on their opportunities very quickly and slowed them down and hopefully get some kind of turnover or make them move the ball."
In the first half, the Wildcats, who have outshot every opponent this season, had as many goals as the Big Green did shots.
Lindsey Munday scored two goals in the early run that pushed the Northwestern lead to 4-0 midway through the half. The Big Green got one back when Sarah Szefi scored with 2.9 seconds left, but the momentum did not carry over into the second half.
Sarah Albrecht scored the second of her three goals 43 seconds into the second half - a goal that held up as the game-winner, boosting the Wildcats' lead to 5-1.
Offensively, the Wildcats had to make the most of their opportunities, because Dartmouth played a strong defensive game, too, showing off a high-pressure style similar to Northwestern's.
"They were early on the double and have a backup person very early," Albrecht said. "It was definitely hard for us to attack that, but we knew some of the weak spots. When you have a high-pressure defense, it's better to spread out, pass the ball around and see what your options are."
The Wildcats certainly did that as they never let the Ivy League champion Big Green get any closer than within three goals.
"They're athletic and scrappy, and they play with a lot of fire, and they don't seem to be fazed by their opponent, which is a credit to them," said Dartmouth defender Erin Osborn, who had six caused turnovers.
Dartmouth 1 3 - 4
Northwestern 4 4 - 8
Goals: D-Christian 2, Szefi, Zimmer; N-Albrecht 3, Kjellman 2, Munday 2, Finch. Assists: D-Douthett 2, Duke; N-Albrecht. Saves: D-Wills 9; NW-Gersuk 3.
