MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Northwestern women's lacrosse team hosted the Hamline University Pipers on Monday in a neutral site match played at Augsburg's Edor Nelson Field. In a rematch of last year's WMLC Tournament Championship game, which Hamline won 14-5, the Eagles kept pace with the Pipers but ultimately fell 11-9.
Samantha Wiebold (Farmington, Minn./Farmington) put the Eagles on the board first with an unassisted goal just two minutes and 45 seconds into the contest. Hamline answered with four consecutive goals of their own to take a big early lead. Wiebold cut into that lead before the close of the first quarter with another unassisted goal for the Eagles.
Up 4-2 entering the second quarter, the Pipers added to their lead with another goal. Once again, Wiebold had the answer for UNW as the senior scored her third of the game to net a hat trick and bring the Eagles within two goals again. Hamline added two more goals to increase their lead to 7-3 before the end of the quarter as Northwestern went into halftime trailing by four.
Down but not out, the Eagles fought hard in the second half and outscored the defending champions 6-4 in the process. UNW started to rally with three consecutive goals to cut the deficit to one.
Emma Snyder (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) scored unassisted to start of the run,
Maddie Nimmo (Somerset, Wis./Hill-Murray) followed with another unassisted goal for the Eagles, and then Wiebold scored her fourth of the day to bring the score to 7-6.
Northwestern and Hamline would play evenly through the rest of the contest; trading goals in the process. After the Pipers scored at the end of the third,
Ava Whitcomb (Otsego, Minn./Rogers) scored on an unassisted effort early in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to one at 8-7. Hamline would score again, and again the Eagles would answer as Wiebold scored her fifth of the game to make it 9-8. The Pipers would again find the back of the net, and once more the Eagles would score, this time with a
Abby Scheel (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) assisted goal by
Cara Smith (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) with 3:42 left. Hamline would score once more to increase their lead to two once again and hold off Northwestern's second-half rally to win 11-9.
Wiebold's five goals let the Eagles on the day.
Brittany Clark (Shell Lake, Wis./) had a team-high five ground balls along with four saves in goal. Wiebold, Nimmo, and Smith tied for the caused turnover team-lead with two each.
Up next for the Eagles is a 7:00 P.M. road game this Wednesday, March 16, at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Bluegolds.
