White’s absence slowed her down, but not for long.
Due to her versatility on defense and her abilities in the draw circle, Samantha White is one of Northwestern lacrosse’s most important players. However, the Wildcats spent a portion of this season without her, as she missed five of the team’s 15 regular season games because her Achilles injury she suffered during fall ball flared up again. This article breaks down her impact at Northwestern upon her return.
Before her hiatus, White was already a very active member of the Northwestern defense. She ranked third amongst the team’s four starting defenders in ground balls (10), fourth in caused turnovers (6) and had 15 draw controls. However, her contributions were a step back from last season when she led the team in both caused turnovers (31) and ground balls (42). In addition, there were moments in early season games where it was clear that she struggled to move as fast as she could last season.
White didn’t start in a stretch that spanned from after Northwestern’s game against Boston College on February 29 to its March 30 matchup versus Rutgers. She came off the bench in the team’s March 22 loss to Penn State but had minimal contributions to the team. White said that she spent her break from lacrosse resting and icing her foot, but still participated in practice and was active to an extent on the sidelines during games.
“It gave me a different perspective, and I was able to help the girls on defense on the sideline,” White said. “I was able to see different perspectives that maybe they weren’t seeing on the field. I had an IPad on the sideline — I was able to show the girls coming off the field [what] happened.”
After the Rutgers game, White said she would continue to ice and rehab her foot even after being cleared to play.
Following White’s return to the starting lineup, she’s picked up six ground balls, caused seven turnovers and won 11 draw controls in four games — outdoing her turnover total from the first five games of the year. The increased number of caused turnovers indicates that White has been more herself in her return, though that didn’t happen instantly. In her second game back against Maryland, she struggled with ball control in transition at times, allowing the Terrapins to pick the ball away from her like in this moment:
Against Maryland, White had zero caused turnovers and draw controls while committing three turnovers. However, her performances have improved since then, as she accumulated zero turnovers in the last two games of the regular season. In addition, her increased aggression has shown in recent games, such as when she dove to disrupt an offensive possession against Ohio State (credits: Big Ten Network):
In the draw circle, White has also been quick to pick up wild draws:
But arguably White’s best performance since her return was in the Big Ten regular season title-deciding game against Michigan, which earned her the second Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award of her career. In that game, she picked up three ground balls, caused a turnover and won two draw controls. But, most importantly, on NU’s final defensive possession of the game, she helped pressure the Wolverine attackers into turning the ball over, and she was right there to pick up the game-winning ground ball. That play, which allowed the Wildcats to hold onto their 13-12 lead, essentially ruined any chance of a Michigan comeback (video credits: Big Ten Network):
As White has recovered from her injury, she’s slowly transforming back into a quick, aggressive and versatile defender who will be critical for Northwestern in the postseason. After all, the Wildcats have yet to lose a game since the end of her hiatus from the starting lineup.