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Northwestern’s fourth title one for the record books
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The return of junior attacker Hilary Bowen, who was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for the second straight season, gives Northwestern a good chance to win its fifth straight national championship next year. Bowen had 81 goals and 20 assists this spring. — John Strohsacker/For The Examiner
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The Northwestern Wildcats have no reason to believe their fourth straight national title will be their last.
The Wildcats (21-1), who beat the Penn Quakers (17-2) in the championship at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Sunday night, are only the second team to win even two straight championships — and now it has its sights set on the Maryland Terrapins’ record of seven straight from 1995 to 2001.
“You never really can anticipate what’s going to happen with young players coming in, with injuries and with the chemistry of the team,” Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, who played for the Terrapins during their string of dominance, said. “But we’re excited about the players we have coming back.”
And for good reason. Almost all of the Wildcats’ offense is expected to return next season, as their four seniors scored just three goals this spring.
Penn, which beat Northwestern, 11-7, on April 27, couldn’t solve junior goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop and a defense that held the Quakers (17-2) to their lowest output of the season.
The Wildcats’ past four seasons collectively has been one of the most dominant in the history of college sports. Northwestern has gone 82-3 during the run, and their four titles are the second-most of any team since 1991. But are the Wildcats a dynasty?
“I’m not going to say that,” Hiller said. “But if you want to, I’d be OK with it. Just to give you some perspective, [when I played for the Terrapins we] were the top seed and we got a bye to the Final Four. I think the road was a lot easier back then, and there are so many good teams out there now.”
Northwestern will have to compensate for one big loss, as defender Christy Finch, who forced 70 turnovers this season, graduated.
“She’s probably one of the few defenders in Division I that I’ve ever coached that gets any sort of fear,” Penn coach Karin Brower said. “She can strip people left and right and forces so many turnovers.”
Junior midfielders Hannah Nielsen, who led the Wildcats with 114 points and 63 assists, and Hilary Bowen, who was named the event’s Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year and tied an NCAA record with 17 goals in the tournament, will return to lead a quest for a fifth straight championship. And so will Lathrop, who made a season-high 11 saves on Sunday.
“I think this one was probably my favorite one,” Finch said referring to the title. “I just love this team so much, and I think that each gets better than the last.”
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Examiner Reader said:
You'd think that the Examiner and the Baltimore Sun could at least do an article on the most successful Division 111 lacrosse program in the nation after Salisbury won their 8th National Championship! Jim Berkman is only the coach with the most wins in NCAA history at any divisional level.
12 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Berkley Summerlin (leader of the Temple team that the Terps were to stuff) is a native of Baltimore. Perhaps an article about her would be interesting! Maybe better than articles about a 25 yr old Canadian playing lax at Md.
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Examiner Reader said:
What's the update???
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Examiner Reader said:
jesse you rock
104 agree | 69 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Good Luck to Cindy. Her players are lucky to have her. She is a classic. She was sorely missed this year by a lot of Maryland people. I only wish her the best.
166 agree | 174 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Next time do some research and get the atttendance numbers right! Monday's NCAA Men's Division I thriller between Johns Hopkins and Duke set a new attendance record for the championship game, with 48,443 fans enjoying the action at M&T Bank Stadium. That breaks the mark of 47,062 set last year at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. This year is the fourth year in row in which single-session attendance for the title game exceeded 40,000. The 2007 men's championships -- the Division I semifinals and finals plus the Division II and Division III finals -- also set a record, with 123,225 in attendance. That tops the 120,614 who watched the tournament in Philadelphia in 2006.
465 agree | 182 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Zimmerman is a class act. Best of luck to him and UMBC Lacrosse! Signed: An Air Force Academy Lacrosse Fan.
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Stephen Meister said:
Last year the Baltimore group derided the NCAA selection committees "Ivy League" selections. This year, the Baltimore crowd showed they didn't belong in the mix. Cornell had to stall the last 3 minutes at Brown, escaping with a victory and feeling badly beaten up. When Cornell met Towson the competition from the Baltimore boys was a joke. Albany took a beating from Binghamton, then Albany showed Loyolla to be a laughing stock. UMBC had to take Brown into overtime, but they hammered Maryland in the playoffs. Parity is here, baby, and the MLL is spreading the word. Baltimore better be wary, they may go the way of Tower Records as the rest of the country discovers this fabulous game.
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Examiner Reader said:
Josh Portis is a student of the game. Ralph has him throwing to 2 team most of the time. Steffy has 1st team which help his percentages. I say give Portis more reps with 1st team and watch his percentage sky rocket. He is a great passer as well as a serious threat with his feet. (playmaker)
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