WLAX: #8 M @ #6 Northwestern, 4ET, ESPNU
Early action today for the 14-1 (4-1) women's lacrosse team as they face 9-4 (3-1) Northwestern in Evanston. A win locks them into the second seed in the Big Ten Tournament, and would be a huge help in their bid to host an NCAA Tournament game. It's on ESPNU if you feel like ignoring some work this afternoon. 3-3 about halfway through the 1st.
5-5 at the half. Come on Wolverines, a bunch of wins this season that could reasonably be described as "the biggest in program history" but I'd argue this is up there if it holds.
Update??
Some good Michigan natives on the field. Maggie Kane GRCC for UofM and Liza Elder EGR and izzie Scane Bham CK for NW. Beautiful facilities at NW.
This would be a huge upset win for UofM. Our Goalie is a rock Star so far.
Very cool considering my daughter has played against both GRCC & EGR this year.
Good game but Michigan was just a step behind today. Aggressive, attacking D turned NU over a ton which helped to overcome the draw control disadvantage. I'm excited to see this program keep growing & hope we can keep Hannah Nielsen in Ann Arbor for a long time
10-8 Wolverines! Michigan goes on a 4-0 run for their largest lead of the game, 12 minutes left.
I'm surprised Northwestern is more highly rated (#6 v #8) given the overall records (9-4 v. 14-1). Without looking, I'm sure that means the NU SOS has been a real snake pit, but from keeping tabs on Michigan from afar, I've gathered that Michigan's 14-1 has been earned against at least a half-dozen ranked teams and is far from a house of cards itself.
11-10 Northwestern with under 7 to go. Going to be quite the finish.
Michigan collapsing mentally, two bad unforced turnovers lead to two goals down 13-10 with 3 minutes left
14-11 Northwestern is a final. Michigan is likely to go to the BTT as a 3 seed, for a likely rematch with Northwestern. Loss stings especially after how long they stayed with them, but a significant improvement from the drubbing @Maryland a couple weeks ago. Michigan closes their season next Tuesday @Detroit Mercy, with the BTT starting May 3. Go Blue!
GO BLUE!!
Good to see them sticking with Northwestern today. It's a great testimony to the growth the Wolverines have had this year.
It also shows that they're still a step behind the Final Four contenders, but it's not a long-shot to think they could become one in the next five years.
Either way, it's great to see them as a strong at-large candidate for the NCAAs this year.