Unshakable belief carries Kelly Amonte Hiller and Northwestern WLAX back to the Final Four

Rarely does it feel appropriate to say that a team has Kelly Amonte Hiller’s number. Widely considered to be one of the greatest coaches in the history of women’s lacrosse, Coach Amonte Hiller is usually the one getting the better of the X’s and O’s.

This year, Colorado head coach Ann Elliott Whidden schemed things up against the ‘Cats about as well as anyone can.

In Northwestern’s first time meeting the Buffs this season, it was held to just nine goals, falling 10-9 in Ryan Fieldhouse. On Thursday afternoon, it was Colorado’s offensive game plan, rather, that charged the Buffaloes’ 8-6 first-half lead. Coach Whidden spaced out her offense, effectively using off-ball screens to free up her attackers for back cuts toward the crease. The Buffaloes found point-blank within 15 feet of the cage all afternoon, with 18 of their 20 shots being on goal.

With Colorado’s shots coming from close distance, NU’s Second Team All-American goalkeeper, Jenika Cuocco, was minimized, held to zero saves in the first period. In fact, Colorado’s stars outshone the ‘Cats’ top talents all game long, with Maddie Shoup’s eight points (four goals and four assists) trumping Madison Taylor’s five (four goals and one assist), while Elena Oh’s 11 saves bested Cuocco’s final tally of six.

Colorado set the tone and flipped the script of the game. As Coach Hiller admitted in the postgame press conference, the ‘Cats did not follow their own game plan and were forced, down two at the half, to regroup and respond.

However, perhaps what truly marks Coach Hiller’s greatness is the mental toughness she builds in her teams off the field. Against Colorado, even without the schematics clicking, the work she did off the field, instilling a team-wide “belief” that doesn’t falter looking elimination eye-to-eye, fueled a resilient comeback campaign for NU in the game’s back half.

In fact, Coach Hiller believes that when preparing to face a team, what’s most important to her is knowing that her squad is ready to play together as a team, no matter what the other team brings to the playing field.

“It’s always about us,” said Coach Hiller, when asked about NU’s preparation to play the Buffaloes. “It’s always about what we do and how we play and how we carry ourselves. That truly was our focus in the preparation.”

With this internal focus, the ‘Cats were able to right the ship in the second half. After surrendering a Shoup goal at the 13:59 mark in the third quarter, Northwestern held the Buffaloes scoreless for over ten minutes, with increased defensive discipline that did a better job protecting the arc’s interior and defending without fouling. After receiving five cards in the first half that allowed Colorado to score four woman-up goals, NU did not get carded the entire second half, making spacing tougher for the Buffs’ offense.