The Wildcats’ drive for a fifth straight national title is starting to look awfully familiar.
Over Spring Break, No. 1 Northwestern (10-0, 1-0 ALC) pummeled then-No. 4 Syracuse (8-2) and Massachusetts (5-6) by a combined 28 goals – the same margin by which it beat those two teams last year. The Cats are off to a 10-0 start for the fourth time since 2005.
“We’ve had some really talented teams in the past several years,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “The girls put every inch of their effort into this team, and the results have really shown.”
Averaging more than 16 goals per game heading into the showdown at Lakeside Field, the Orange struggled to find the back of the net in a 19-8 defeat. NU’s victory over Syracuse was its sixth win over a ranked opponent this season.
Senior forward Katie Rowan, the Big East’s all-time leading scorer and last year’s national leader in points per game, was frustrated all afternoon. She finished without a goal or an assist, the only time this season she has been held scoreless. Junior defender Maggie Bremer was named the ALC Defensive Player of the Week for her role in shutting down Rowan.
Despite recording the most shots against NU this year, Syracuse struggled to keep up offensively.
After the Orange drew first blood, the Cats scored seven straight goals to help put the game away early and take a 12-4 lead into halftime. It was a much better start than last season’s battle at Syracuse’s Carrier Dome, where NU went into intermission holding a slim 5-4 edge after being outshot in the first half.
“We played with a lot of intensity, we pressured the ball and played fearless,” senior goalie Morgan Lathrop said. “That’s going to rattle their shots, whether that means it gives me a better chance of making a save or they miss the cage.”
Amonte Hiller attributed the difference to her team’s improved attitude and preparation.
“They know how to approach games mentally, and I think they’re more ready,” Amonte Hiller said. Last year we struggled with our mental approach to games. We’ve learned a little bit of a lesson, and we’re approaching things better on a daily basis.”
The Cats’ senior stars stepped up big in their first of three games against teams that made last season’s NCAA semifinals. Lathrop stopped 10 shots, Hannah Nielsen scored a career-high seven goals and forward Hilary Bowen registered five points.
The 22-5 road victory against Massachusetts was also never in doubt. NU racked up 15 goals in the opening period for the fourth time this year and increased its average margin of victory to more than 14 scores.
“This year, more than in the past, we’ve been focusing on getting out to that fast start and putting teams away right from that first whistle,” Nielsen said.
It was a game of many milestones. Nielsen dished out four assists to tie the NCAA career record of 178 and the Cats won the 200th game in their program’s history.
NU also showcased its depth, with 11 different players scoring. Freshman forward Shannon Smith contributed a hat trick for the second game in a row and is fifth on the team in goals.
Smith’s coach is impressed with her all-around development.
“She’s just a natural scorer, and she’s starting to get more and more confidence every game,” Amonte Hiller said.
The Cats have won all their games so far by comfortable margins – a 12-7 win in the snow at North Carolina was their closest call. They have the top scoring offense and second-best scoring defense in the country.
But the players are not falling into the trap of expecting an easy game every time out.
“That’s what we’re trying to avoid,” Nielsen said. “We don’t want to just get into the routine of, ‘Yeah, we’re going to win because we’re Northwestern.'”
