Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

46° Evanston, IL
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Advertisement
Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our email newsletter in your inbox.



Advertisement

Advertisement

Road warriors hope to crash Spartans’ homecoming (Field hockey)

Focus. Target. Bullseye.

You might expect these terms to be casually tossed around during a game of darts. But they’re used very seriously by Northwestern field hockey coach Marisa Didio in talking about NU’s upcoming opponents.

This weekend, Didio and the Wildcats aim to take down Michigan State and Stanford in NU’s road trip to East Lansing, Mich.

The Wildcats, in search of their first Big Ten win, face off against the Spartans today at 3 p.m. Michigan State is currently ranked No. 9 nationally.

No matter. The Cats are so focused on playing their kind of game that senior Diane Provencher didn’t know, and more importantly didn’t care, that it’s Michigan State’s homecoming weekend.

“We’ll play anyone, anywhere, anytime,” Provencher said. “The circumstances don’t matter.”

East Lansing hasn’t proven to be a friendly place to play over the past year though, as the Spartans currently boast a 15-game home winning streak.

History is on NU’s side today, as the Cats lead the all-time series with Michigan State, 32-12.

Being on the road may mean playing in a hostile environment, but it also plays right into the hands of NU’s focused attitude

“It’s good to be on the road. There aren’t any distractions,” Provencher said. “It’s all field hockey.”

The Cats seem poised to spoil the Spartans’ homecoming, as Didio is very pleased with how her team has progressed over the first month of the season.

“We’ve made some excellent strides so far as a team,” Didio said. “This weekend, we need to execute on penalty corners and take more risks.”

Didio says with a more established lineup, look for the Cats to take more of those risks offensively.

NU will look to bring a balanced attack by getting their side-backs more involved in the attack, and not only relying on their forwards to score.

“Now that we have a better picture about where we are as a team, we can mix things up a little more and take more chances,” senior Katie Walshauser said.

It will be no easy task to get the offense rolling against Spartans goal keeper Christina Kirkaldy, who is the Big Ten leader in saves with 58. But tough competition comes with the territory as the Cats have built up a reputation for playing the nation’s best on a consistent basis.

“We’re always in the role of the spoiler,” Provencher said. “But we have a great team that can play with anybody.”

Following today’s game, the Cats get a day off and then return to the playing field Sunday at 1 p.m. to face Stanford.

More to Discover
Activate Search
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881
Road warriors hope to crash Spartans’ homecoming (Field hockey)