Feb. 20--There was more than one area Thursday in which the Duke women's lacrosse team outplayed Northwestern.
But in a sport without a shot clock, making possession more than nine-tenths of the law, nothing was more critical to the Blue Devils' 15-9 victory at the Accelerated Center in Northbrook than draw controls.
The fifth-ranked Wildcats (2-1) have so far been unable to find any answer for the graduation loss of Alyssa Leonard, the NCAA career leader in draw controls.
Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller tried four different people on faceoffs against Duke, to little avail.
"We have to figure this out," she said. "It's not just the draw person but the people in the circle having the mental toughness to step up."
No. 8 Duke (4-0) ended an 11-game losing streak against Northwestern by controlling 17 of the 26 draws, 13 of 17 in the first half. Northwestern has won just 24 of 66 draws this season.
"We have been on the winning edge of this for many years," Amonte Hiller said. "Until we can get to 50 percent, we aren't going to be able to compete against top teams."
The Blue Devils also were quicker, passed more crisply, got many more players involved in the offense than the two who scored all nine Northwestern goals and held the Wildcats scoreless for 18 minutes of the second half after NU freshman Selena Lasota's fifth straight goal had cut the Duke lead to 9-8. The Blue Devils had five goals in that span, putting the game away.
Lasota's fourth goal had been one for the ages, a reverse, over-the shoulder shot on the run. Kaleigh Craig had the other four Wildcats goals, while eight players figured in the Duke scoring.
phersh@tribpub.com
