"I see skies of blue, clouds of white..."
Louis Armstrong must have been talking about this day, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the quarterfinal match of the NCAA tournament between the top-seeded Cats and No. 8 Princeton.
The game is a rematch of the 2005 quarterfinal, won 8-6 by NU. The Cats come in riding a 42-match home winning streak.
AND...the Cats are on the board, thanks to a Princeton turnover in front of their net. Casey Donohoe jumped on the ball and scored.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Softball: Northwestern vs. DePaul LIVE BLOG
Welcome back to Sharon J. Drysdale Field for the Evanston Regional of the NCAA Tournament. It occurs to me while I explained to people that Northwestern had not advanced to the second round with its 6-0 win over Western Illinois yesterday that most people do not know how this tournament works.
So here is my best explanation:
The 64-team field is split into 16 regions of four teams each. The four teams within each region play a double-elimination tournament. So today's matchup between No. 11 Northwestern and No. 19 DePaul is not a "win or go home." But it certainly helps to get the "W" in today's first game because it means you do not have to play the rest of the day.
The history between the Wildcats and the Blue Demons is pretty deep. DePaul defeated NU in the 2005 super regional round with a two-game sweep. Both teams reached the Women's College World Series last year.
The Blue Demons took a 5-3 decision in five innings back on April 29. The game was shortened due to darkness. Neither starting pitchers from today started that game. The aces are in the circle for today's game.
DePaul will provide a good challenge and we should be in store for a good game. Becca Heteniak has been as dominant as NU ace Lauren Delaney. She is 32-6 with a 1.19 ERA. She is not a strikeout pitcher like Delaney, but runs do not come easy off her.
The bats for the Blue Demons can come alive too. Amber Patton is batting .401 in the leadoff position and Sandy Vojik is batting .320 with 10 home runs. They do not have the power of the Cats, but they proved a couple weeks ago that they can hang with this team.
If NU does not commit errors defensively -- like they did in the first meeting -- it should find itself through to the regional championship tomorrow.
A pretty split crowd today. The Blue Demon mascot even is making an appearance. All NU has is women's basketball player Amy Jaeschke selling t-shirts at the concession stand.
It is the start of a pretty big day for NU athletics with women's tennis and lacrosse playing NCAA Tournament games too.
First Inning: The Purple Express series gets off to the start you expect when you have two pitchers with ERAs below 2.00. Both pitchers send their opponents down in order. Buckle in, it is going to be a bumpy ride.
Second Inning: Jackie Tarulli-Fisher gets the first hit of the game, but do not think the Cats gave up the hit so easily. Tarulli-Fisher poked one past Nicole Pauly at second base, but Kelly Quinn came charging from right field and nearly got the ball back into the infield for the force out.
NU exacted some revenge as Erin Dyer threw out pinch runner Tara Voss at second pretty easily on the attempted steal. In a game like this, every runner is going to matter. The Cats are still hitless entering the bottom of their lineup.
Third Inning: The back of the order has been coming up big for NU in the postseason. The team has gotten big hit after big hit from the back of the order to set up the big bats at the top. It lead to blowout victories in the first two rounds of the Big Ten tournament.
They started doing it again in the third. Kelly Quinn laid down a perfect slap past the shortstop into center field and then Robin Thompson laid down a bunt which seemed to repel all DePaul players as it settled in the middle of an empty right side of the infield.
But now Tammy Williams has to hold up her end of the deal. She entered the postseason with a batting average around .480, which led the nation. She entered the game with a .457 average and is uncharacteristically struggling this postseason. With runners at second and third, Williams flew out to the shortstop and the Blue Demons survived the first big threat to score.
DePaul took NU's failed chances at scoring in the top of the inning and turned them into runs in the bottom during the first meeting. This time, Lauren Delaney closed the door. Two strikeouts and a ground out to short keeps the game scoreless.
Fourth Inning: Perhaps momentum has shifted to NU. Michelle Batts leads off the inning with a sharp hit to center field. The freshman who plays first base is not the most nimble of players, she usually gets a pinch runner after her singles. But Batts showed off her speed, chugging across the base path for a stand-up double. That kind of hustle should really fire up the team.
They call her "Little Guy" but she has come up with plenty of big hits for the Cats in her three-year career. Add another big hit to the lore of Erin Dyer.
Dyer grounds a ball down the third base line, bringing in Aly Euler (pinch-running for Batts) for the first run of the game. The Dyer sisters have been the most consistent hitters for NU this postseason. The Cats only get one on the board as the defense takes the field.
Errors hurt NU in the first game against DePaul. Not so much this time. Kelly Quinn shows off her range in right field and gets a well-hit ball by Sandy Vojik for the second out. It is the best contact the team has had against Lauren Delaney all game. The one-run lead holds entering the fifth.
Fifth Inning: The Cats' offense is usually associated with power. They showed it off yesterday with three solo shots and they were second in the Big Ten in longballs and in the top 10 in home runs per game in the nation. But small ball is winning this game.
Speedy freshman Robin Thompson led off the inning with a single, she stole a base and advanced to a third on a sacrifice bunt. Jordan Wheeler's slap hit through the middle of the infield scored one. Nothing like a manufactured run straight off the assembly line.
Williams snapped her little slump with a big hit to the center field wall. She stretched it out to a triple, but was tagged out at home after a bad throw to third. The rally has clearly rattled Hetteniak. Batts walked and Nicole Pauly was hit, giving NU a second chance to threaten with two outs and a three-run lead.
And "Big Hit Dyer" (I am taking requests for nicknames) hits one down the left field line and it sneaks inside the foul pole for a three-run home run. Cats have given Delaney a lot of cushion with a five-run inning.
Heteniak got one hit back at least. Her pop up gets lost in the sun and Pauly cannot handle it for the out. The sophomore trades her visor for some sun glasses. Hopefully she remembered some sun screen too... a public service announcement brought to you by the Daily Northwestern.
Cats remain ahead six runs with a new pitcher coming in for the Blue Demons.
Sixth Inning: Cats quiet in that inning facing a new pitcher. But with a six-run lead and Delaney cruising, it may not matter.
DePaul probably lost its best chance to get a run on the board. The top of the team's order goes down 1-2-3 with two strikeouts. This matchup has slowly become a snoozer as Delaney's dominant pitching has quieted the Blue Demons.
Seventh Inning: Delaney makes quick work of the Blue Demons and the Cats advance to the Regional championship game tomorrow with a 6-0 victory.
Erin Dyer went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, including a three-run blast to cap off a five-run fifth inning. The run started thanks to the small ball play at the beginning of the inning from the bottom of the lineup.
DePaul pitcher Becca Heteniak said it best, "Good hitters hit everything." And NU has a lot of good hitters to put pressure on its opponents.
"One through nine our lineup is stacked," Dyer said. "When you know your seven, eight (and) nine batter are getting on base and scoring runs, it makes it that much easier and puts that much more pressure on the other team."
Delaney said getting the runs helped her feel more comfortable in the game. She did not need much as only one runner got to second base the entire game. She scattered three hits and struck out 11 batters. The Big Ten Pitcher of the Year has not given up a run in 35 innings. She has allowed only one run in the past six games.
DePaul coach Eugene Lenti noted how Delaney's changeup has really made her a more dynamic pitcher. She now matches her fastball and rise-ball with some off-speed pitches.
The Cats will return to action in the regional championship game Sunday at noon. They will only have to win one game to advance to their fourth straight super regional and will face whichever team survives the rest of Saturday's games.
"It's about taking advantage of the rest we have and not going to bed happy tonight," coach Kate Drohan said.
Enjoy Sports Editor Jake Simpson's live blog of lacrosse's quarterfinal battle with Princeton.
So here is my best explanation:
The 64-team field is split into 16 regions of four teams each. The four teams within each region play a double-elimination tournament. So today's matchup between No. 11 Northwestern and No. 19 DePaul is not a "win or go home." But it certainly helps to get the "W" in today's first game because it means you do not have to play the rest of the day.
The history between the Wildcats and the Blue Demons is pretty deep. DePaul defeated NU in the 2005 super regional round with a two-game sweep. Both teams reached the Women's College World Series last year.
The Blue Demons took a 5-3 decision in five innings back on April 29. The game was shortened due to darkness. Neither starting pitchers from today started that game. The aces are in the circle for today's game.
DePaul will provide a good challenge and we should be in store for a good game. Becca Heteniak has been as dominant as NU ace Lauren Delaney. She is 32-6 with a 1.19 ERA. She is not a strikeout pitcher like Delaney, but runs do not come easy off her.
The bats for the Blue Demons can come alive too. Amber Patton is batting .401 in the leadoff position and Sandy Vojik is batting .320 with 10 home runs. They do not have the power of the Cats, but they proved a couple weeks ago that they can hang with this team.
If NU does not commit errors defensively -- like they did in the first meeting -- it should find itself through to the regional championship tomorrow.
A pretty split crowd today. The Blue Demon mascot even is making an appearance. All NU has is women's basketball player Amy Jaeschke selling t-shirts at the concession stand.
It is the start of a pretty big day for NU athletics with women's tennis and lacrosse playing NCAA Tournament games too.
First Inning: The Purple Express series gets off to the start you expect when you have two pitchers with ERAs below 2.00. Both pitchers send their opponents down in order. Buckle in, it is going to be a bumpy ride.
Second Inning: Jackie Tarulli-Fisher gets the first hit of the game, but do not think the Cats gave up the hit so easily. Tarulli-Fisher poked one past Nicole Pauly at second base, but Kelly Quinn came charging from right field and nearly got the ball back into the infield for the force out.
NU exacted some revenge as Erin Dyer threw out pinch runner Tara Voss at second pretty easily on the attempted steal. In a game like this, every runner is going to matter. The Cats are still hitless entering the bottom of their lineup.
Third Inning: The back of the order has been coming up big for NU in the postseason. The team has gotten big hit after big hit from the back of the order to set up the big bats at the top. It lead to blowout victories in the first two rounds of the Big Ten tournament.
They started doing it again in the third. Kelly Quinn laid down a perfect slap past the shortstop into center field and then Robin Thompson laid down a bunt which seemed to repel all DePaul players as it settled in the middle of an empty right side of the infield.
But now Tammy Williams has to hold up her end of the deal. She entered the postseason with a batting average around .480, which led the nation. She entered the game with a .457 average and is uncharacteristically struggling this postseason. With runners at second and third, Williams flew out to the shortstop and the Blue Demons survived the first big threat to score.
DePaul took NU's failed chances at scoring in the top of the inning and turned them into runs in the bottom during the first meeting. This time, Lauren Delaney closed the door. Two strikeouts and a ground out to short keeps the game scoreless.
Fourth Inning: Perhaps momentum has shifted to NU. Michelle Batts leads off the inning with a sharp hit to center field. The freshman who plays first base is not the most nimble of players, she usually gets a pinch runner after her singles. But Batts showed off her speed, chugging across the base path for a stand-up double. That kind of hustle should really fire up the team.
They call her "Little Guy" but she has come up with plenty of big hits for the Cats in her three-year career. Add another big hit to the lore of Erin Dyer.
Dyer grounds a ball down the third base line, bringing in Aly Euler (pinch-running for Batts) for the first run of the game. The Dyer sisters have been the most consistent hitters for NU this postseason. The Cats only get one on the board as the defense takes the field.
Errors hurt NU in the first game against DePaul. Not so much this time. Kelly Quinn shows off her range in right field and gets a well-hit ball by Sandy Vojik for the second out. It is the best contact the team has had against Lauren Delaney all game. The one-run lead holds entering the fifth.
Fifth Inning: The Cats' offense is usually associated with power. They showed it off yesterday with three solo shots and they were second in the Big Ten in longballs and in the top 10 in home runs per game in the nation. But small ball is winning this game.
Speedy freshman Robin Thompson led off the inning with a single, she stole a base and advanced to a third on a sacrifice bunt. Jordan Wheeler's slap hit through the middle of the infield scored one. Nothing like a manufactured run straight off the assembly line.
Williams snapped her little slump with a big hit to the center field wall. She stretched it out to a triple, but was tagged out at home after a bad throw to third. The rally has clearly rattled Hetteniak. Batts walked and Nicole Pauly was hit, giving NU a second chance to threaten with two outs and a three-run lead.
And "Big Hit Dyer" (I am taking requests for nicknames) hits one down the left field line and it sneaks inside the foul pole for a three-run home run. Cats have given Delaney a lot of cushion with a five-run inning.
Heteniak got one hit back at least. Her pop up gets lost in the sun and Pauly cannot handle it for the out. The sophomore trades her visor for some sun glasses. Hopefully she remembered some sun screen too... a public service announcement brought to you by the Daily Northwestern.
Cats remain ahead six runs with a new pitcher coming in for the Blue Demons.
Sixth Inning: Cats quiet in that inning facing a new pitcher. But with a six-run lead and Delaney cruising, it may not matter.
DePaul probably lost its best chance to get a run on the board. The top of the team's order goes down 1-2-3 with two strikeouts. This matchup has slowly become a snoozer as Delaney's dominant pitching has quieted the Blue Demons.
Seventh Inning: Delaney makes quick work of the Blue Demons and the Cats advance to the Regional championship game tomorrow with a 6-0 victory.
Erin Dyer went 2-for-3 with four RBIs, including a three-run blast to cap off a five-run fifth inning. The run started thanks to the small ball play at the beginning of the inning from the bottom of the lineup.
DePaul pitcher Becca Heteniak said it best, "Good hitters hit everything." And NU has a lot of good hitters to put pressure on its opponents.
"One through nine our lineup is stacked," Dyer said. "When you know your seven, eight (and) nine batter are getting on base and scoring runs, it makes it that much easier and puts that much more pressure on the other team."
Delaney said getting the runs helped her feel more comfortable in the game. She did not need much as only one runner got to second base the entire game. She scattered three hits and struck out 11 batters. The Big Ten Pitcher of the Year has not given up a run in 35 innings. She has allowed only one run in the past six games.
DePaul coach Eugene Lenti noted how Delaney's changeup has really made her a more dynamic pitcher. She now matches her fastball and rise-ball with some off-speed pitches.
The Cats will return to action in the regional championship game Sunday at noon. They will only have to win one game to advance to their fourth straight super regional and will face whichever team survives the rest of Saturday's games.
"It's about taking advantage of the rest we have and not going to bed happy tonight," coach Kate Drohan said.
Enjoy Sports Editor Jake Simpson's live blog of lacrosse's quarterfinal battle with Princeton.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Softball: Northwestern vs. Western Illinois LIVE BLOG
It is a beautiful day at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. The typical 40 degree playoff weather has given way to a beautiful 70 degree day. The unusual May weather may take the Wildcats out of their usual routine. The lineups are being introduced as Northwestern prepares to take on Western Illinois.
A little bit about Western Illinois: the Westerwinds are 14-31 and made the tournament by winning the Summit League tournament title. Western Illinois has two good hitters in Collen Biebel (.314 batting average) and Smantha Valentine (.420 average). Lor Pankratz is in the circle. She has a 8-12 record and a 3.30 ERA.
The Cats defeated the Westerwinds 8-0 in five innings March 2. Things may not be much different this time around.
First Inning: Lauren Delaney gets three strikeouts, but the Cats go down quietly. NU has not gotten off to good starts lately. The second time around has been the big innings for the team. Good early news though, both Tammy Williams and Michelle Batts hit the ball out deep to right field. Could be a sign of things to come...
Second Inning: ... and how about now. Nicole Pauly takes the second pitch of the inning over the left-center field wall for her team-leading 14th home run and NU goes ahead 1-0. It at least guarantees Western Illinois is going to have to get one run off of the Big Ten pitcher of the year. Delaney has a 1.57 ERA this year, so the Westerwinds have their work cut out for them.
In other news, Kelly Quinn fouls a pitch down the first base line and hits associate head coach Caryl Drohan. She is OK though as Western Illinois contains the damage.
Third Inning: for those who are curious what is a Westerwind... no one is quite sure. But those even more curious will find that Western Illinois is not always the Westerwinds. The men's teams are the Leathernecks and all the women's teams are Westerwinds. There is your aha moment of the day.
Other fun tidbits found on Wikipedia. The school got special permission from the Marines to use their bulldog logo. Not quite Oregon getting permission from Disney to use Donald Duck.
Oh, Delaney got three more strikeouts in that inning bringing her total to seven in three innings.
Fourth Inning: Michelle Batts decided to join the party too. The freshman lined an easy swing over the left-center field wall for a 2-0 lead. NU has a pair of solo home runs... make that three as Pauly hits her second of the day, this one to right field, following Batts' blast. Three solo shots give the Cats a three-run lead. That may be enough with the way Delaney is pitching.
Fifth Inning: the NU outfield gives a rousing rendition of Y-M-C-A as the team digs in for an important fifth inning. The Westerwinds look like they might be making a pitching change and the bats are starting to come alive. The pitching and defense could decide whether this game continues much further.
And Delaney did not start it off well. Her first pitch hits Michelle Neubauer in the mask of her helmet and she takes her base. But Western Illinois cannot get any consistent hitting against NU's hurler. The Westerwinds are having difficulties getting bunts down in fair territory to move the runners they do get and nothing is leaving the infield. The sophomore added two more strikeouts this inning, bringing her total to 11.
Batts adds two more on the board with a two-RBI double and the rout appears to be on with Erin Dyer at the plate and runners at first and second.
Erin nearly ends the game with a three-run blast, but the left fielder catches it at the wall. Let's see what her sister can do...
Kelly does not do too bad. She lines one into center field and plates one to bring the lead to six.
Sixth Inning: Western Illinois may have found its key to success. Colleen Biebel leads off the inning with a passed ball strikeout. It really is a win-win situation. Delaney gets her strikeout and the Westerwinds get the satisfaction of putting a runner on base.
Western Illinois threatens by putting its leadoff hitters on first and second, but NU turns a rare double play to get out of the inning with the shutout still intact.
Tammy Williams continues to struggle this postseason. She is 0-for-4 with a run (reaching on a fielder's choice). The Top-10 finalist for the national player of the year is really struggling this postseason. Her average dipped dramatically from the .480s to the .460s during the Big Ten tournament and her performance today is not helping much either.
Seventh Inning: Delaney sits Western Illinois quickly with two strikeouts in the seventh and NU moves on in the winner's brackets.
Delaney struck out 14 batters and gave up just one hit in earning her fourth straight postseason shutout. Michelle Batts went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Nicole Pauly was 2-for-2 with two solo home runs.
NU moves on to play rival DePaul, who defeated Drake earlier in the day, tomorrow at 11 a.m.
The Cats were focused completely on themselves after the game as they prepare for a rematch with the Blue Demons. DePaul defeated NU 5-3 in five innings April 29. The game was shortened by darkness. Neither team pitched their aces.
"For a team, I think its just playing good softball how we know, like we have always done," Batts said. "I think that we're our own worst enemies. If we just relax and take care of business, it will be easy."
A little bit about Western Illinois: the Westerwinds are 14-31 and made the tournament by winning the Summit League tournament title. Western Illinois has two good hitters in Collen Biebel (.314 batting average) and Smantha Valentine (.420 average). Lor Pankratz is in the circle. She has a 8-12 record and a 3.30 ERA.
The Cats defeated the Westerwinds 8-0 in five innings March 2. Things may not be much different this time around.
First Inning: Lauren Delaney gets three strikeouts, but the Cats go down quietly. NU has not gotten off to good starts lately. The second time around has been the big innings for the team. Good early news though, both Tammy Williams and Michelle Batts hit the ball out deep to right field. Could be a sign of things to come...
Second Inning: ... and how about now. Nicole Pauly takes the second pitch of the inning over the left-center field wall for her team-leading 14th home run and NU goes ahead 1-0. It at least guarantees Western Illinois is going to have to get one run off of the Big Ten pitcher of the year. Delaney has a 1.57 ERA this year, so the Westerwinds have their work cut out for them.
In other news, Kelly Quinn fouls a pitch down the first base line and hits associate head coach Caryl Drohan. She is OK though as Western Illinois contains the damage.
Third Inning: for those who are curious what is a Westerwind... no one is quite sure. But those even more curious will find that Western Illinois is not always the Westerwinds. The men's teams are the Leathernecks and all the women's teams are Westerwinds. There is your aha moment of the day.
Other fun tidbits found on Wikipedia. The school got special permission from the Marines to use their bulldog logo. Not quite Oregon getting permission from Disney to use Donald Duck.
Oh, Delaney got three more strikeouts in that inning bringing her total to seven in three innings.
Fourth Inning: Michelle Batts decided to join the party too. The freshman lined an easy swing over the left-center field wall for a 2-0 lead. NU has a pair of solo home runs... make that three as Pauly hits her second of the day, this one to right field, following Batts' blast. Three solo shots give the Cats a three-run lead. That may be enough with the way Delaney is pitching.
Fifth Inning: the NU outfield gives a rousing rendition of Y-M-C-A as the team digs in for an important fifth inning. The Westerwinds look like they might be making a pitching change and the bats are starting to come alive. The pitching and defense could decide whether this game continues much further.
And Delaney did not start it off well. Her first pitch hits Michelle Neubauer in the mask of her helmet and she takes her base. But Western Illinois cannot get any consistent hitting against NU's hurler. The Westerwinds are having difficulties getting bunts down in fair territory to move the runners they do get and nothing is leaving the infield. The sophomore added two more strikeouts this inning, bringing her total to 11.
Batts adds two more on the board with a two-RBI double and the rout appears to be on with Erin Dyer at the plate and runners at first and second.
Erin nearly ends the game with a three-run blast, but the left fielder catches it at the wall. Let's see what her sister can do...
Kelly does not do too bad. She lines one into center field and plates one to bring the lead to six.
Sixth Inning: Western Illinois may have found its key to success. Colleen Biebel leads off the inning with a passed ball strikeout. It really is a win-win situation. Delaney gets her strikeout and the Westerwinds get the satisfaction of putting a runner on base.
Western Illinois threatens by putting its leadoff hitters on first and second, but NU turns a rare double play to get out of the inning with the shutout still intact.
Tammy Williams continues to struggle this postseason. She is 0-for-4 with a run (reaching on a fielder's choice). The Top-10 finalist for the national player of the year is really struggling this postseason. Her average dipped dramatically from the .480s to the .460s during the Big Ten tournament and her performance today is not helping much either.
Seventh Inning: Delaney sits Western Illinois quickly with two strikeouts in the seventh and NU moves on in the winner's brackets.
Delaney struck out 14 batters and gave up just one hit in earning her fourth straight postseason shutout. Michelle Batts went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Nicole Pauly was 2-for-2 with two solo home runs.
NU moves on to play rival DePaul, who defeated Drake earlier in the day, tomorrow at 11 a.m.
The Cats were focused completely on themselves after the game as they prepare for a rematch with the Blue Demons. DePaul defeated NU 5-3 in five innings April 29. The game was shortened by darkness. Neither team pitched their aces.
"For a team, I think its just playing good softball how we know, like we have always done," Batts said. "I think that we're our own worst enemies. If we just relax and take care of business, it will be easy."
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Lacrosse: NCAA Tournament 1st Round vs. Notre Dame Live Blog
Welcome to Lakeside Field on this dreary, windy, cold and rainy day. This is not lacrosse weather and the whitecaps on the lake are not very inviting, which the Cats may hope works to their advantage today.
Notre Dame and the Cats are playing under the lights this afternoon due to the severe overcast weather.
The big question for NU today is what it will do without the firepower of Danielle Spencer, who was injured during the team's win over Vanderbilt in the ALC title game last Sunday. Despite the hip injury, Spencer is dressed, but likely won't see much action.
Notre Dame's chances at upsetting the top-seeded Cats rest with the play of Jilian Byers. Byers, the Irish's top scorer this season with 67 goals, was held scoreless the last time the two teams met, a 16-2 thrashing by the Cats.
And it's gametime. Meredith Frank wins the opening draw for the Cats who take the ball up the field and almost lose possession, but retain after the ND foul.
28:00 Nielsen passes to Donahoe in front of the net but the shot is broken up.
27:42 Christy Finch hits Ferguson in the head, gets sent off and has a free position. Shoots and scores. NU 0, ND 1. Finch was a bit too aggressive on defense and it costs the Cats the early lead.
26:30 Bowen had a chance, but the shot goes off the post to keep NU out of the scoring column.
25:00 Both teams have been hurt by the iron on the goal post, but NU clearly misses Spencer's ability to finish and draw attention. The Cats so far have taken four shots, but has yet to find the net.
22:13 Bowen hits from the right side and evens the score. NU 1, ND 1. There is a ND player, Rachel Guerrera, down in front of the crease and the trainers just came out to make sure things are alright.
21:14 Several new faces are seeing extended playing time in Spencer's absence: Meghan Plunkett and Brooke Matthews.
19:29 ND posts a solid counterattack, quick and direct and Ferguson has her second goal of the game. NU 2, NU 1.
16:03 Nielsen gets whacked near the face fighting with ND's goalie Goodman outside the crease and NU retains possession. Smart foul by the Irish when its goalie was 10 yards away from the net. The Cats are getting chances, but Goodman is denying them goals. The ND goalie has four saves on eight shots.
10:35 Notre Dame's Gina Scioscia charges from the right side after a Cammarota foul and scores. NU's goalie, Morgan Lathrop has to angry at her defense for taking chances and giving the Irish too many chances. NU 1, ND 3. The officials are calling this game close and by the book, hurting the Wildcats and their physical style.
8:56 Casey Donahoe runs up the field like a freight train, burning by defenders in the neutral zone and sets up Nielsen with a nice pass on the left side. Nielsen hits the top right side for the goal. NU 2, ND 3.
8:27 ND gets a goal after another Finch foul. Stecker puts the Irish lead back to two goals. NU 2, ND 4.
8:00 The Cats have been getting called for tons of fouls, which is completely off-setting Notre Dame's poor passing in the middle of the field.
4:39 Bowen runs through a throng of Irish defenders on her way to the net and gets the ball by Goodman. NU 3, ND 4.
3:42 Matthews is fouled and given a free position and despite Goodman getting a piece of the ball, it falls to the back of the net for the equalizer. NU 4, ND 4.
3:19 The defense falls apart again. Finch is not playing All-America lacrosse right now and the Irish get an easy goal to retake the lead. NU 4, ND 5.
1:00 The Cats are looking to level the game before the half and are trying to find an opening in the defense for the last shot, but it looks like they wish Spencer was in the game now.
0:09 Bowen runs through three defenders, falls down just ahead of the crease, but manages get to get a shot past Goodman to tie the game before halftime.
Halftime: NU 5, ND 5.
The Cats need to regroup after Notre Dame pulled a fast one on NU's defense. The Irish have been playing solid defense and have been bolstered by the play of its goalie, Erin Goodman. But coach Kelly Amonte Hiller is shaking things up on the sidelines by warming up the ailing Spencer.
29:08 NU takes its first lead of the game on Katrina Dowd's stick-fake goal. Pretending she was going to shoot, she pulled her stick down, let two defenders run past and pulled up for the shot. Now the fans are back into the game even though the wind has picked up and made conditions miserable.
NU 6, ND 5.
28:31 Bad pass by the Irish to end the threat and the Cats counterattack with Bowen up the field, who lost her stick on the charge.
26:56 Frank passes to Nielsen in front of the crease, who jukes Goodman to take a two-goal lead.
NU 7, ND 5.
25:16 The Irish received a big break when Bowen was pushed down in front of the net and no call was made by the officials.
23:41 Bowen was wide open next to the net and scores her fourth goal of the game. Spencer? With her warming up on the sidelines without her coat, the Cats have come out with their guns blazing. Now? Spencer put her jacket back on and might be able to rest her hip another week as her high school teammate is keeping NU's title defense alive with her second half play.
NU 8, ND 5.
20:50 Bowen scores her fifth goal of the game as she blew by her defender from outside the crease and put it in the net.
NU 9, ND 5.
19:51 Less than one minute after Bowen's fifth goal, the Irish rush back to score its first goal of the second half and cut the NU lead to three with Scioscia's goal.
NU 9, ND 6.
18:12 Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Hilary and Hannah Show. Bowen passes the ball to Nielsen, who scores on a behind-the-back goal past Goodman. The Cats so far are outshooting the Irish 2:1.
NU 10, ND 6.
15:28 Nielsen scores again! Bowen and Nielsen have scored nine of the Cats' 11 goals today.
NU 11, ND 6.
14:44 Nielsen just recorded a natural hat-trick with her third goal in a row and she is on fire, NBA Jam style!
NU 12, ND 6.
12:04 Bowen picks up a ground ball on a fast break behind the defense and dishes it to Nielsen, who scored her sixth goal of the day and her fourth in a row.
NU 13, ND 6.
10:03 Scioscia beats out Finch one-on-one and gets the ball past Lathrop to end Nielsen's scoring streak.
6:23 A timeout allows the Europe's "The Final Countdown" to play to remind the Irish they have under seven minutes to save their season. Great music choices by the booth as Europe is followed by Zombie Nation. Oh, Jock Jams. On a lacrosse related note, the Irish need to step up the intensity and play with a sense of urgency. It also wouldn't hurt if they could stop Bowen and/or Nielsen. But when they do that they expose other players.
5:36 Donahoe runs in from the right and hits top shelf as the Irish focused on the other stars for the Cats. That was the Cats' 32nd shot. When the Cats took the Irish behind the woodshed in April with a 16-2 win, they only had 28 shots.
NU 14, ND 7.
3:06 Now that was just mean. Dowd takes advantage of Goodman's absence between the pipes (she was out defending) and she bounces a shot in to rub it in.
NU 15, ND 7.
1:03 Frustration is starting to set in for the Irish as they have about one minute left in their season. Odd as Bowen is still in the game as the Cats win the game and advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals against the Princeton Tigers next Saturday.
Final Score: Northwestern 15, Notre Dame 7.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Special Assignment: Red Bull Air Race - San Diego
Day 1:
A night after getting to know the media and discover how great of a city San Diego is, I was pounding bottled water and gratis Red Bull to try to rid myself of a growing headache from the night before.
But looking out onto the water from the Media Center all pain went away and I started to relax under the California Sun, which has yet to reach Evanston.
The day started off as a celebration of Fleet Week, so naturally the fleet sailed through San Diego Bay. Monochromatic destroyers, cruisers and frigates of all sizes slowly chugged underneath the San Diego Harbor Bridge and into the Pacific Ocean. Then if the drone of big ship diesels wasn’t enough, booms could be heard periodically as fighter jets swarmed in pairs in the sky.
But this was all the warm-up for the Air Race, which for someone who had only seen short videoclips beforehand, it was exciting. Having to listen to the live play-by-play and commentary guys was vicious to the ear. They made mistakes and were not that interesting to listen to, but the pre-show was informative and featured helicopters, skydivers and BASE jumpers, including one who paraglided into a moving speed boat.
For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of an Air Race (which I assume is most people) here is a short explanation, which fits into my lunchbreak.
Basically there are 12 pilots and two days of actual racing following training and they are racing super-lightweight aerobatic planes that have top speeds of 250 mph and are very maneuverable. Each plane goes through a series of gates that determine the manner of flight, whether it be horizontal, knife-edge or both. The pilots each get two full runs of the course and only their top time counts toward seeding and if they hit gates, are too low, too high or not at the correct angle, they receive a time penalty of between three and 10 seconds. The top eight pilots move on to a knockout-type quarterfinal round while the other four compete against each other for the last World Cup point. The four fastest in the Super Eight race head to head against in the semifinals to determine the final two, who face off against each other.
After I took a short jaunt to the Old Town Cinco de Mayo festival for some fresh tacos and a wrestling mask, the festivities began just 40 seconds from arrival. The Red Bull Air Race Qualifying was underway. Twelve pilots each had the chance to navigate the 13-gate course twice, reaching velocities of 370 km/h and withstanding almost 10 g’s. The speed and agility of the planes were remarkable as they ran through the course.
The surprising upstart Austrian, Hannes Arch, had the fastest run in training and therefore flew last, upstaging Britain’s Paul Bonhomme, who was fastest in each leg of during the first race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
But Bonhomme would not disappoint the nearly 100,000 fans in attendance. He recorded two of the fastest laps of the day and will have the top-seed in the Super Eights tomorrow.
Behind Bohomme finished two Americans, Kirby Chambliss and the 2007 World Series Winner Mike Mangold.
Sadly, a snafu with Red Bull’s communication meant we were unable to check out the pits or talk to the pilots, but hopefully that will be resolved tomorrow.
Either way, the finals should be very competitive with the Americans trying to pull of the upset over Bonhomme on their home turf.
Day 2:
Attending an event that is sponsored/organized by Red Bull means that a large portion of the Red Bull family will be in attendance. Witness last night. After checking out the first day party, we gravitated to a bar which had a live 80’s cover band and a secluded VIP basement for a less raucous environment. Wandering away from a cougar-fest, I passed moto-cross and rally-car champion Travis Pastrana walking up the stairs (though I didn’t know it was him until I was told later). Once in the basement we chatted with a Red Bull sports manager and introduced ourselves to champion freestyle skier Tanner Hall who was chilling in the corner. I discussed skiing, life and injuries with Hall, who was clearly enjoying himself at the party
“Do you know how many times I’ve reinvented this industry?” the blonde-dreadlocked Hall asked me. “Two, three, five times. You guys haven’t seen anything yet.”
So far the sky is the limit for a guy who recently won his X-Games record seventh gold medal less than three years after breaking both ankles attempting a jump over a chasm in Utah.
Moving on to the second day of the Air Race.
The first event was the Point One race, where the four slowest pilots race for ninth-place and one World Series point. Yesterday, French pilot Nicolas Ivanoff clipped the finish gate and had 10 seconds added to his time, putting him into the chase for the last point instead of posting one of the top times of the day. He responded well with a solid run, crushing rookie Glen Dell by more than 12 seconds. But it was not to last. British pilot Steve Jones clipped Ivanoff by a little over a second with an ultrafast second lap through the course to get the last point.
The last man into the Super Eights after Ivanoff, Hungarian Peter Besenyei was actually slower than three of the Point One competitors, which was probably due to his outdated plane (though he said he is getting a model in for either the next race or the following one).
The excitement continued when four pilots all compiled times within a second of each other, with Hannes Arch leading the bunch with a time of 1:20:04, followed by Mike Mangold, Kirby Chambliss and Michael Goulian. If the hot leader from qualifying, Bonhomme, stumbled and acquired a penalty in the windier conditions, Goulian would advance to the semifinals. But alas for the youngest American of the bunch, as Bonhomme crushed the course, beating Arch by more than two full seconds and reestablishing his dominance this season.
Bonhomme did not have a run above 80 seconds in five attempts over the weekend, but the rest of the pilots raised their game as only four were left flying.
In the first semifinal Bonhomme beat Chambliss with by just .79 seconds and Mangold upset Arch by .3 seconds to face-off against Bonhomme, something that was a recurring match-up last year.
But while Bonhomme blew the championship last season to allow Mangold to win, Bonhomme showed why he was the hottest pilot this year.
Posting another sub-78 second run, he beat Mangold by more than one minute to continue his streak of dominance and give him another nine World Series points. He now leads the championship with 18 and Mangold is second with 15.
As the race finished up, I jumped on a plane of my own to fly back to Evanston, thankful I got to see what this was all about (and also having the chance to visit San Diego during Fleet Week and a huge party).
A night after getting to know the media and discover how great of a city San Diego is, I was pounding bottled water and gratis Red Bull to try to rid myself of a growing headache from the night before.
But looking out onto the water from the Media Center all pain went away and I started to relax under the California Sun, which has yet to reach Evanston.
The day started off as a celebration of Fleet Week, so naturally the fleet sailed through San Diego Bay. Monochromatic destroyers, cruisers and frigates of all sizes slowly chugged underneath the San Diego Harbor Bridge and into the Pacific Ocean. Then if the drone of big ship diesels wasn’t enough, booms could be heard periodically as fighter jets swarmed in pairs in the sky.
But this was all the warm-up for the Air Race, which for someone who had only seen short videoclips beforehand, it was exciting. Having to listen to the live play-by-play and commentary guys was vicious to the ear. They made mistakes and were not that interesting to listen to, but the pre-show was informative and featured helicopters, skydivers and BASE jumpers, including one who paraglided into a moving speed boat.
For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of an Air Race (which I assume is most people) here is a short explanation, which fits into my lunchbreak.
Basically there are 12 pilots and two days of actual racing following training and they are racing super-lightweight aerobatic planes that have top speeds of 250 mph and are very maneuverable. Each plane goes through a series of gates that determine the manner of flight, whether it be horizontal, knife-edge or both. The pilots each get two full runs of the course and only their top time counts toward seeding and if they hit gates, are too low, too high or not at the correct angle, they receive a time penalty of between three and 10 seconds. The top eight pilots move on to a knockout-type quarterfinal round while the other four compete against each other for the last World Cup point. The four fastest in the Super Eight race head to head against in the semifinals to determine the final two, who face off against each other.
After I took a short jaunt to the Old Town Cinco de Mayo festival for some fresh tacos and a wrestling mask, the festivities began just 40 seconds from arrival. The Red Bull Air Race Qualifying was underway. Twelve pilots each had the chance to navigate the 13-gate course twice, reaching velocities of 370 km/h and withstanding almost 10 g’s. The speed and agility of the planes were remarkable as they ran through the course.
The surprising upstart Austrian, Hannes Arch, had the fastest run in training and therefore flew last, upstaging Britain’s Paul Bonhomme, who was fastest in each leg of during the first race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
But Bonhomme would not disappoint the nearly 100,000 fans in attendance. He recorded two of the fastest laps of the day and will have the top-seed in the Super Eights tomorrow.
Behind Bohomme finished two Americans, Kirby Chambliss and the 2007 World Series Winner Mike Mangold.
Sadly, a snafu with Red Bull’s communication meant we were unable to check out the pits or talk to the pilots, but hopefully that will be resolved tomorrow.
Either way, the finals should be very competitive with the Americans trying to pull of the upset over Bonhomme on their home turf.
Day 2:
Attending an event that is sponsored/organized by Red Bull means that a large portion of the Red Bull family will be in attendance. Witness last night. After checking out the first day party, we gravitated to a bar which had a live 80’s cover band and a secluded VIP basement for a less raucous environment. Wandering away from a cougar-fest, I passed moto-cross and rally-car champion Travis Pastrana walking up the stairs (though I didn’t know it was him until I was told later). Once in the basement we chatted with a Red Bull sports manager and introduced ourselves to champion freestyle skier Tanner Hall who was chilling in the corner. I discussed skiing, life and injuries with Hall, who was clearly enjoying himself at the party
“Do you know how many times I’ve reinvented this industry?” the blonde-dreadlocked Hall asked me. “Two, three, five times. You guys haven’t seen anything yet.”
So far the sky is the limit for a guy who recently won his X-Games record seventh gold medal less than three years after breaking both ankles attempting a jump over a chasm in Utah.
Moving on to the second day of the Air Race.
The first event was the Point One race, where the four slowest pilots race for ninth-place and one World Series point. Yesterday, French pilot Nicolas Ivanoff clipped the finish gate and had 10 seconds added to his time, putting him into the chase for the last point instead of posting one of the top times of the day. He responded well with a solid run, crushing rookie Glen Dell by more than 12 seconds. But it was not to last. British pilot Steve Jones clipped Ivanoff by a little over a second with an ultrafast second lap through the course to get the last point.
The last man into the Super Eights after Ivanoff, Hungarian Peter Besenyei was actually slower than three of the Point One competitors, which was probably due to his outdated plane (though he said he is getting a model in for either the next race or the following one).
The excitement continued when four pilots all compiled times within a second of each other, with Hannes Arch leading the bunch with a time of 1:20:04, followed by Mike Mangold, Kirby Chambliss and Michael Goulian. If the hot leader from qualifying, Bonhomme, stumbled and acquired a penalty in the windier conditions, Goulian would advance to the semifinals. But alas for the youngest American of the bunch, as Bonhomme crushed the course, beating Arch by more than two full seconds and reestablishing his dominance this season.
Bonhomme did not have a run above 80 seconds in five attempts over the weekend, but the rest of the pilots raised their game as only four were left flying.
In the first semifinal Bonhomme beat Chambliss with by just .79 seconds and Mangold upset Arch by .3 seconds to face-off against Bonhomme, something that was a recurring match-up last year.
But while Bonhomme blew the championship last season to allow Mangold to win, Bonhomme showed why he was the hottest pilot this year.
Posting another sub-78 second run, he beat Mangold by more than one minute to continue his streak of dominance and give him another nine World Series points. He now leads the championship with 18 and Mangold is second with 15.
As the race finished up, I jumped on a plane of my own to fly back to Evanston, thankful I got to see what this was all about (and also having the chance to visit San Diego during Fleet Week and a huge party).
Friday, April 18, 2008
Softball: Cats defeat Hoosiers with ease
Junior shortstop Tammy Williams had done her part in the second inning. She drew a four-pitch walk and advanced on an error, which allowed two runs to score, giving the Wildcats a three-run lead with two outs.
Williams got a little greedy on the next at-bat. She was picked off trying to steal third base on a close call.
The shortstop left no doubt her next at-bat.
Williams belted a two-run home run to start a five-run fourth inning as NU easily ran by Indiana 11-0 in five innings Friday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
The Cats (25-10, 10-1 Big Ten) came out of the gates quickly, recovering from their first Big Ten loss last Sunday.
Sophomore Nicole Pauly, who plays second base, scored an RBI double in the first inning. She was two-for-two and added a solo home run in the fourth. Sophomore designated player Emily Haug added two RBIs as well.
"I think we're just trying to play our game," Williams said. "I think we got away from that Sunday. We were trying to hit the ball and hit the ball hard, like we do. I think that was the plan. As a team, just work together and play Northwestern softball."
NU batted around in the fourth inning. But Indiana's prospects looked bleak even before then -- and they were already trailing by six runs.
Sophomore pitcher Lauren Delaney dominated the Hoosiers, striking out seven of the 15 batters she faced in four innings (freshman Jessica Smith pitched the fifth) and gave up one hit and two walks.
"Lauren's doing amazing," Williams said. "Knowing that you have to play good defense for her -- for those one or two hits -- and know that she is an amazing picture. She is going to get us out of everything. Our job is to just score the runs."
Williams and the Cats' offense did just that, giving the star pitcher plenty of breathing room Friday.
Williams got a little greedy on the next at-bat. She was picked off trying to steal third base on a close call.
The shortstop left no doubt her next at-bat.
Williams belted a two-run home run to start a five-run fourth inning as NU easily ran by Indiana 11-0 in five innings Friday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.
The Cats (25-10, 10-1 Big Ten) came out of the gates quickly, recovering from their first Big Ten loss last Sunday.
Sophomore Nicole Pauly, who plays second base, scored an RBI double in the first inning. She was two-for-two and added a solo home run in the fourth. Sophomore designated player Emily Haug added two RBIs as well.
"I think we're just trying to play our game," Williams said. "I think we got away from that Sunday. We were trying to hit the ball and hit the ball hard, like we do. I think that was the plan. As a team, just work together and play Northwestern softball."
NU batted around in the fourth inning. But Indiana's prospects looked bleak even before then -- and they were already trailing by six runs.
Sophomore pitcher Lauren Delaney dominated the Hoosiers, striking out seven of the 15 batters she faced in four innings (freshman Jessica Smith pitched the fifth) and gave up one hit and two walks.
"Lauren's doing amazing," Williams said. "Knowing that you have to play good defense for her -- for those one or two hits -- and know that she is an amazing picture. She is going to get us out of everything. Our job is to just score the runs."
Williams and the Cats' offense did just that, giving the star pitcher plenty of breathing room Friday.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Women's Lacrosse: Cats Know Focus is Key to 4-Peat
Northwestern could rest on its laurels and grind out the regular season with three national championship in the trophy case and the potential for a fourth this season.
The No. 1 Wildcats have a difficult schedule - which has already featured seven ranked teams and three more to come in their final four games - and dominated their opponents. NU has played only two games within five goals, defeating No. 7 Georgetown 7-6 on March 28 and topping No. 10 Duke 15-11 on April 6.
Especially after its game in Durham, N.C., it could be easy to think that this team may be coasting through the season as they trailed at halftime and rallied for the victory.
But after a 16-2 dismantling of No. 8 Notre Dame at Lakeside Field on Wednesday, it is clear NU can keep its focus and drive on toward Towson, Md. and the national championship game.
"I think for this game we really focused on ourselves and doing all the little things that we know are the result of hard work - getting the ground balls and getting the draw controls - and just being aggressive," junior midfielder Hilary Bowen said. "That really helped us out overall."
The Cats undoubtedly have a lot of experience, already defending their title twice. But the way they defeated the Fighting Irish made it look like they were trying to make a statement to the lacrosse world.
NU led Notre Dame 15-0 before conceding a goal. Bowen said the Duke game made the team realize it is not going to simply show up and dominate. Every team is going to be gunning to knock off the defending champions and the team has to focus to reach every win.
But this team is experienced and knows one impressive game does not equate to a championship. The Cats have played with a target on their back for many years and they still expect to see each and every team's best when they take the field.
"A team can come off a big win and think that they rule the world and that's totally not true," Bowen said. "Every single team is going to come out at you as hard as they can. We need to realize on any day, if we don't bring our top game, we can be beaten."
The No. 1 Wildcats have a difficult schedule - which has already featured seven ranked teams and three more to come in their final four games - and dominated their opponents. NU has played only two games within five goals, defeating No. 7 Georgetown 7-6 on March 28 and topping No. 10 Duke 15-11 on April 6.
Especially after its game in Durham, N.C., it could be easy to think that this team may be coasting through the season as they trailed at halftime and rallied for the victory.
But after a 16-2 dismantling of No. 8 Notre Dame at Lakeside Field on Wednesday, it is clear NU can keep its focus and drive on toward Towson, Md. and the national championship game.
"I think for this game we really focused on ourselves and doing all the little things that we know are the result of hard work - getting the ground balls and getting the draw controls - and just being aggressive," junior midfielder Hilary Bowen said. "That really helped us out overall."
The Cats undoubtedly have a lot of experience, already defending their title twice. But the way they defeated the Fighting Irish made it look like they were trying to make a statement to the lacrosse world.
NU led Notre Dame 15-0 before conceding a goal. Bowen said the Duke game made the team realize it is not going to simply show up and dominate. Every team is going to be gunning to knock off the defending champions and the team has to focus to reach every win.
But this team is experienced and knows one impressive game does not equate to a championship. The Cats have played with a target on their back for many years and they still expect to see each and every team's best when they take the field.
"A team can come off a big win and think that they rule the world and that's totally not true," Bowen said. "Every single team is going to come out at you as hard as they can. We need to realize on any day, if we don't bring our top game, we can be beaten."
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