2021 NCAA WOMEN'S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP

May 28, 2021

Kelly Amonte Hiller

Northwestern Wildcats

Media Conference

Syracuse 21, Northwestern 13

Q. I don't have the stats in front of me, but I know you guys had those unreleasable fouls and yellow cards. What do you attribute some of those fouls to, and how big of an impact do you think it had on the game?

KELLY AMONTE HILLER: I mean, I don't know. I need to watch the game back. I feel like we got kind of on our heels a little bit at the beginning. I'm not sure about the fouls. I have to watch the film.

You can't go into a game like that playing a great team and serve penalties the whole entire game. It's impossible to overcome.

Q. They were the ones that got off to the hot start early. What do you attribute that to? What were you seeing out of them early in the game?

KELLY AMONTE HILLER: Well, I think the yellow cards and the draw controls. That's what I attribute it to. You can't play man down or woman down the whole game and then not win any draw controls, as well. I believe the draw controls at the half were 5 to 10, Syracuse at the edge.

You know, you get to this point and people have to step up, and they did not do that today. It stinks to be in that situation, but that's sports. Syracuse stepped up and they did an amazing job today and they were ready, and that's why they won the game.

Q. I know you just got off the field so it may be hard to put it in perspective, but what has this season meant to you and the way your team performed all year under unprecedented conditions with COVID?

KELLY AMONTE HILLER: Yeah, I mean, they were unbelievable. We didn't have a case of COVID the whole entire year, not one, while we were at Northwestern. Not one kid in quarantine, nothing. I just think it speaks to the discipline and the commitment to what they were trying to achieve today, and it's just unfortunate that things didn't go our way. We didn't come out like we should, and you just can't go back in time.

Q. What did you learn from this year with this COVID situation? I know you didn't have anybody test positive, which is fantastic, no quarantine. What did you learn, you as a coach, knowing that you didn't have -- you couldn't have meetings, they couldn't hang out together? What did you learn?

KELLY AMONTE HILLER: You know, I just think that we appreciated all the small moments that we did get together. Even just with the most recent being vaccinated and stuff, just being able to have a meal together. You appreciate all those little things.

I think all of the practices and intersquad scrimmages, we really appreciated those.

Q. Madison had a strong game through the first 10 minutes, recording five saves. What changes do you think happened offense-wise through the rest of the game that led to the final?

KELLY AMONTE HILLER: I mean, we're playing man down. That didn't help. They're very good man up. I knew that going into the game. We wanted to try to eliminate that. We didn't do that. Then with 20 minutes left in the game, we had to go out and pressure. We did really well, and we had it to three, got a wide-open shot and shot it into the goalie's stick. And then they went down and scored a couple. We were fatigued, and they were able to open it up a little bit.

You know, we gave it everything we had.

Q. Two Final Fours in your last two full seasons. You've had a bunch of veterans and seniors lead the way. What do you have to say about those players who are finishing up -- may finish up their careers in Evanston and what they've given to this program?

KELLY AMONTE HILLER: Yeah, I mean, it's hard to see them go. Lindsey McKone specifically, I think we wanted to win for her. She's lost a sibling through her time with us, and I think that's what Izzy was getting upset about. Then we've got other seniors that we're not sure if they'll come back. Sammy Mueller being the transfer in, even though she was only with us for a little bit, she really assimilated into the program well.