The last three weeks for Northwestern Lacrosse have been, to put it simply, tumultuous. Mid-March losses to then-ranked No. 14 Syracuse and then-unranked Ohio State put a damper on its record, but a subsequent 17-3 win at Oregon kickstarted a course correction for the ‘Cats. Supplemented with a stunning 16-15 overtime victory over then-ranked No. 1 UNC in Chapel Hill and a 16-12 home win against then-ranked No. 7 Johns Hopkins, No. 6 Northwestern is currently riding a high it has desperately needed.
Next up is a USC team that is 0-5 in Big Ten play and on a five-game losing streak. Though on paper the Trojans are a rather mild opponent, the Wildcats cannot take this matchup for granted — especially as their game against top-ranked Maryland looms on the horizon. Here are three keys for Northwestern securing a victory against USC.
Limit defensive slip-ups
Alternatively, make goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco’s life easier.
The ‘Cats have given up a ton of free positions over the past stretch of games, the effects of which have been costly. Four of Johns Hopkins’ 12 goals came off of free positions, and UNC won a whopping 13 free positions (from which it scored eight goals, more than half of its game total). In contrast, Northwestern won two and three free positions, respectively.
Allowing so many fouls to occur inside the eight-meter arc is unfair to Cuocco, who is so good at stopping shots from open play but struggles (and rightfully so) against close-range snipes. Preventing these mishaps against a weaker opponent is important, especially as Northwestern prepares for postseason play, where giving up goals carries a much higher cost than it does now.
Taking advantage of the transition
Northwestern currently has the third-best scoring offense in the NCAA, just behind UNC and Florida, but it cannot function without strong transition play, something that Head Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller has made clear in many post-game interviews is critical to the team’s offensive production.
Utilizing quick, smart playmakers like Noel Cumberland and Kate Ratanaproeksa to the fullest will allow Northwestern to create options on the attack against a USC defense that has allowed 85 goals to top-20-ranked opponents this season.
Ratanaproeksa, a first-year, has started every single game this season and has shown her strength and speed off the draw and moving into the attack. Cumberland, on the other hand, began her season slowly but has scored seven goals in the last five games, including one goal against Johns Hopkins coming off a 75-yard run.
But more importantly, both players can dictate the game regardless of who’s on the field, which leads to the next point of:
Rotation, rotation, rotation
Coming off this past month’s demanding schedule, some different Wildcats should get more playing time — USC’s weaker standing will make this a particularly worthwhile opportunity for Northwestern.
To put some specific names out there, I would love to see Gabriella McCollester and Reese Hansen get the nod to start. McCollester currently has seven points to her name but has not scored since Feb. 28. She brings an invaluable combination of height, speed and strength to the Northwestern attack that she can hopefully exploit against USC.
Hansen, on the other hand, has started Northwestern’s last three games and played a career-high 63 minutes against UNC. When you watch Hansen, you can see how aware she is of the players around her — she’s constantly scanning and reading the game as it flows, and I think she’s on course to become a standout for this team.
Depth will be key for Northwestern to deal with future obstacles — being able to survive off starpower is one thing, but utilizing your substitutes to dig deep for a win is another. And though this matchup against USC might not be tight, it’s good for the ‘Cats to fight with the future in mind.
