Junior Casey Donohoe scored two goals to help lead Northwestern to the 7-6 victory over Georgetown.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Friday night marked the second annual "Friends of Jaclyn" Pediatric Brain Tumor Awareness Challenge, and 13-year old Jaclyn Murphy was on the Northwestern sidelines cheering on her team. NU needed every bit of luck and karma that Jaclyn provided, holding off ninth-ranked Georgetown 7-6 at Lakeside Field. The Wildcats improve to 9-0 on the season and extended their winning streak to 30 games, one game shy of tying the program's all-time record.

A crowd of nearly 900 people packed the stands on a chilly Chicago evening to support the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, and got every penny's worth. From the players wearing special jerseys during warm-ups to the ceremonial opening draw between Murphy and 16-year old Ali Mendofik (Georgetown's pediatric brain tumor adoptee), to the intense action on the field, it was a game that many will not soon forget.

Northwestern drew first blood as junior Casey Donohoe (Jarrettsville, Md./Notre Dame Prep) fired a pass from Hannah Nielsen (Adelaide, Australia/Brighton Secondary) past Georgetown goalkeeper Caitlin Formby just over two minutes into the game. Redshirt freshman Kim Pantages (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) then connected on a free position shot a minute later to give NU the early 2-0 advantage.

But the Hoyas came fighting back, scoring the next three goals to take a 3-2 lead with 13:32 remaining in the half. It was only the second time all season the Wildcats found themselves trailing in a game this season after falling behind in a similar 3-2 deficit at California in the season opener. Junior Hilary Bowen (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) evened things up with a goal at the 6:24 mark, and it would remain that way until halftime. Sophomore Maggie Bremer (Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) would put Northwestern back on top 40 seconds into the second half, rocketing a free position shot past Formby. Donohoe and Nielsen teamed up again to give the Wildcats a two-goal cushion at 5-3 with 23:32 to play. But that was quickly answered by Georgetown a minute later, as Molly Ford cut the Wildcat lead to 5-4.

It appeared the Wildcats were starting to pull away midway through the second half, as goals by sophomore Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) and junior Meredith Frank (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) gave Northwestern a three goal advantage, thanks to Nielsen's third assist of the game, with just under nine minutes to play.

But the Hoyas were not going down without a fight. Ford cut the lead to two with 8:28 to play, and Megan Bloomer trimmed the lead to one with just under four minutes remaining. However, that was as close as Georgetown could get, as the `Cats were able to retain possession in the closing minutes to preserve the victory.

NU out shot the Hoyas 22-13 on the evening, but the aggressive Georgetown defense and some big saves by Formby kept the Wildcat offense at bay. Formby finished with 10 saves on the night, many of which came from close range. At the other end of the field, junior goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop (Briarcliff, N.Y./The Hackley School) continued to step up in big games, making three crucial saves in the second half.

While the win was an important one for Northwestern in its quest for a fourth-straight national championship, an even bigger victory was won by the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, which raised about $30,000 to go toward research for children battling pediatric brain tumors and help improve their quality of life.

The victory extended Northwestern's home winning streak to 36 games and kept the top-ranked Wildcats perfect on the season. It was also the 99th win of head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller's career, leaving her just one victory shy of 100. Amonte Hiller looks to gain the milestone victory when NU hosts conference opponent Vanderbilt (7-3, 1-0 ALC) at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 30, at Lakeside Field. source: CSTV.com