Three weeks ago, No. 1 Northwestern started its season in sunny San Diego with a resounding 24-6 victory over then-ranked No. 18 Denver.
The Wildcats (1-0) hope their hot play will continue today against Duquesne (0-1) in Pittsburgh, even though the temperature will be about 30 degrees colder. The hiatus from competitive play has made them anxious to return to game action.
“We’re itching to get back on the field after that long break,” senior attacker Hilary Bowen said.
During its time off, NU worked on additional offensive and defensive sets. It had only implemented a few of the new ones for the Surfside Cup Classic.
“We’ve been really focusing in on our defense, putting in some new offenses as well,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “Getting better each practice and being more cohesive as a unit – cohesiveness is a process every year, even though we have a very veteran team. We’re doing a lot of new things this year.”
Amonte Hiller’s squad also got to practice outside last week due to the unseasonably warm weather. The team was able to run their transition plays on the full-length field for the first time. The indoor field is only 70 yards long.
The Cats plan to use their first game after the break to work on the small details that have made the difference for them during their run of four consecutive national championships. Bowen said the team will focus on getting draws and playing hard for 50-50 balls.
Bowen and her teammates know the importance of getting off to a strong start. They lost their season opener in overtime to North Carolina in 2007, digging an early hole before winning their third straight national title.
NU made sure history did not repeat itself last year. The Cats breezed through their first eight games, winning each by an average of nearly 14 goals and scoring 18 or more times in all but one contest.
“We want to do that every year, go out and make a statement,” Bowen said. “We have to make sure not to lose focus as the year goes on because we saw (in the regular season finale loss to Penn) last year what can happen if we become complacent and let your success get to your head.”
Last March, NU dominated Duquesne in shots (45-12), forced 20 turnovers and held substantial edges in draws and ground balls en route to a 21-6 win. That game was in Evanston, on a frigid afternoon with snow flurries falling throughout the contest.
While playing in the cold is not preferable, it does not significantly affect the course of the game. Only minor changes – like shortening passes – have to be made, and players hardly notice the weather once the game gets underway.
“It’s easier in practice to lose focus with the cold, but once you’re out there in that competitive environment, we kind of lose track of the weather and just play our game,” Bowen said.
The Cats scored 16 first-half goals against the Dukes last year to put the game out of reach early. Bowen and fellow attacker Danielle Spencer contributed five goals apiece, four of which came before halftime.
But with Duquesne returning its top 10 scorers, Bowen would not be surprised if Tuesday’s game is tighter.
“They’re going to come out hard, and they’re not just going to lie down for us,” she said. “They’re an aggressive team, and we have to know that they’re going to do everything that they can to beat us. That’s what everyone wants to do – they want to take us down.”
