March 13, 1:02 a.m.Despite a slow start, No. 1 Northwestern crushed Hofstra 20-6 at Lakeside Field in Thursday’s home opener. It was the fifth time in the first seven games that the Wildcats (7-0), who lead the nation in scoring, tallied 20 goals or more.
Hofstra tied the game at 1-1 with 23:16 left in the first half, but NU answered with three goals in the next two minutes. The Cats also closed the half with eight straight goals after the midway point to take a 13-2 lead into the break.
“We kind of just picked up the intensity,” senior midfielder Hannah Nielsen said. “We started getting draw controls, and that carried over into the second half.”
Nielsen finished with four goals and a game-high three assists, bringing her within 18 of breaking the national all-time record in that category. Senior attacker Hilary Bowen contributed five goals, her sixth game with with at least five scores. Junior midfielder Katrina Dowd and freshman attacker Shannon Smith also had hat tricks for the Cats.
