[NU Sports] Squandered a lead?

[Tom Maycock]

>Did Amonte-Hiller use her 2nd string more of the game? Or maybe Women's Lacrosse is just
>that explosive this year.


The Cats definitely used a deeper bench in this game, with some players getting in early who I don't think saw the field at all on Friday night. I'm sure Kelly was trying to offset the fatigue factor. I actually thought they might struggle early, coming off a very hard-fought game against an elite opponent, but the reverse was true: they were incredibly sharp early on, winning all the draws and scoring at will with precision passing and shooting. It was later that they seemed to run out of steam a bit. I'm sure fatigue kicked in at some point. The fact that KAH used the deep bench right from the start probably paid off late in the game. 

The tide turned when JH started winning all the draws, largely on contested ground balls. Fatigue? Lack of effort and focus? Hard to say, but the Cats were definitely outplayed for a while there. At least a couple of the goals came on fast break situations off scrambles for the draw, but in general our D did not play well during JH's run. They were scoring much too easily, and had a fairly incredible shooting percentage (12 goals on only 19 shots). 

The interesting strategic move came when Amonte-Hiller put Harrington in to face guard Hopkins' best play-maker, Taylor D'Amore. Although D'Amore only had 1 goal and 1 assist prior to that point, Harrington's ability to take D'Amore completely out of the offense really seemed to really disrupt their flow. I believe Harrington came in when it was 11-11, and Hopkins didn't score again until very late. The fact that the Cats started winning draws again was a big factor, but Harrington clearly made a difference--this on the heels of her lock-down performance against UNC's Zimmerman on Friday. 

I think the upshot is that JH is a good team (they beat the Cats last year), particularly on offense, and the Cats probably weren't at their best after the big night against UNC. But the Cats came through in the end, and the undefeated season rolls on. Big game against Florida next Saturday. 

FYI, I think the Hopkins game is being replayed on BTN this week--Tuesday maybe?

Tom