Fortunately for Northwestern, the first one didn’t count.
After falling short in their first meeting with No. 12 Iowa this season, the Wildcats will get another shot at the Hawkeyes at 3 p.m. today at the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex.
NU stumbled to a slow start in an Oct. 4 matchup with Iowa, which did not count as a conference game. The Cats recovered to stage a late second-half rally but ended up with a 4-3 loss.
“Our team needs to show up and play 70 minutes consistently,” coach Kelly McCollum said about today’s rematch.
The Cats (7-6, 0-3 Big Ten) are still looking for their first win in a powerhouse conference. Of the seven Big Ten schools that have field hockey teams, NU is the only one not ranked in the top 20 nationally.
For the second straight year, the Cats have endured a grueling schedule, including non-conference games against No. 2 Maryland, No. 13 Louisville and No. 20 Virginia. NU’s three losses in conference play came against Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana. Those three teams are a combined 9-0 in the Big Ten and 37-4 overall.
“I think the challenge of our schedule prepares us for these games,” McCollum said.
Iowa (8-5, 1-2) is in the midst of its own stretch of tough games. The Hawkeyes have lost two straight after being shut out by No. 4 North Carolina and No. 1 Wake Forest. Their offense still ranks 12th in the country with 3.3 goals per game.
The Cats, who are coming off a 5-0 victory over Lindenwood, will need another strong offensive performance to keep pace with the high-powered Hawkeyes. Iowa’s three-pronged attack of Caitlin McCurdy, Lauren Pfeifer and Debbie Birrell each have more than 15 points this season.
NU boasts its own prolific trio on offense. Forward Jill Putnam – the team’s leading scorer – ranks first among freshmen in the nation with 10 goals. Junior midfielder Meghan Small and senior Ellen Schlafly each have eight goals and four assists.
Junior goalkeeper Sherri-Anne Nyberg, who leads the Big Ten with 98 saves, can expect another busy weekend. After hosting Iowa today, NU will battle No. 11 Michigan in Sunday’s home finale.
The Wolverines finished last season tied for first place in the conference with a 5-1 record. They also won the Big Ten tournament in Evanston. Despite returning seven of its 11 starters this year, Michigan (8-6, 1-3) has not been nearly as dominant.
“They’re a very different team than they were a year ago,” McCollum said.
The Cats will finish conference play next weekend at Michigan State. This year’s Big Ten tournament will be held Nov. 3-5 in Iowa City, Iowa.
Reach Gerald Tang at [email protected]
