Leading No. 19 Connecticut 7-5 in the second half, Northwestern attacker Erin Flynn scored on Huskies goalie April Pollock for her second goal of the afternoon.
The sophomore didn’t get to celebrate for long, as the Connecticut bench called for a stick check.
An official measured the size of Flynn’s pocket, deemed it too large and called back the goal.
“Each team gets one stick check per game,” Flynn said. “This time it helped them out a lot. They took my stick away.”
Even though she didn’t get her second goal and third point of the game, Flynn had the last laugh as her team cruised past Connecticut 8-6, earning its first ever win against a top-20 opponent.
When a team is down in a close game, it’s not uncommon to call for a stick check, NU head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said.
At Lakeside Field, the Wildcats (6-3, 1-3 American Lacrosse Conference) jumped to an early 3-0 lead with goals from freshmen Lindsay Munday and Laura Glassanos. Connecticut (5-4) didn’t score until midway through the first half and trailed for the entire game. But the Huskies were able to rally at the end of the first half, when they narrowed the score to 4-3.
NU put on its most complete performance of the season, playing a high-energy, fast-paced game that left the Huskies tired and confused. Coming off Saturday’s 15-7 loss to No. 15 Notre Dame, Connecticut couldn’t keep up with an NU offense fresh off a nine-day break.
“They definitely seemed a little slow,” Flynn said. “We tried to move around on offense really quickly and exploit that.”
Despite a season-high 18 turnovers, NU’s attack was balanced and patient. The Cats made precision passes and numerous cuts with unselfish play that created shots from all over the field.
As Connecticut tried to contain the explosive duo of Courtney Flynn and Courtney Koester, other players often found themselves open. NU’s two leading scorers were limited to one goal, but Glassanos and Munday combined for five of the Cats’ eight scores. Glassanos complemented her two goals with a pair of assists.
“The girls take pride in everything they do on the field rather than just scoring goals and making assists,” Amonte Hiller said. “They’re always ready to improve and learn.”
While the offense was putting on a clinic, sophomore goalie Ashley Gersuk anchored NU’s defense. In perhaps her best performance of the year, Gersuk made her presence felt both in and out of the net.
Just before halftime, a shot that was headed for the right side of the goal was deflected by an NU defender. As the ball was redirected to the left, Gersuk kicked out her foot and blocked the shot. When the ball began to trickle backwards into the goal, she twisted and dove for one of her 13 saves.
“Ashley was really focused today, ” sophomore defender Sara Walsh said. “She really stepped it up. From saves to communication, every part of her game was on.”
After three straight losses to ranked opponents, the Cats came out Sunday determined not to lose a fourth in a row.
“We knew we wouldn’t lose,” Erin Flynn said. “Mentally we wouldn’t let it happen.”
And with four of NU’s remaining seven opponents currently sitting in the top 20, the rest of the season won’t get any easier.
The journey for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament continues Friday when NU hosts No. 16 Stanford.
The Cardinal will be the fifth-consecutive ranked team the Cats face in fewer than 20 days.
“(Sunday) was huge for us,” Gersuk said, “both on paper and for our team confidence.”
