The last time Northwestern made the NCAA Tournament, they lost 1-0 to James Madison in the Final Four.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, that was all the way back in 1994, which was also the last year NU won the Big Ten regular season title. Both streaks could end this season as the Cats head into a pair of crucial games this weekend.
On Friday, the Cats (11-6, 3-1 Big Ten) host No. 9 Penn State (12-4, 3-2) and will again go up against No.11 Michigan State (13-4, 2-3) on Sunday.
The Spartans and Cats met on Oct. 17 in East Lansing in a game that did not count towards the Big Ten standings. Although the Cats were winning 1-0 at the half, the Spartans prevailed 2-1, scoring the winning goal with just over two minutes left. In that game, sophomore midfielder Chelsea Armstrong, the team’s leader in goals, points and assists, was out with an injury.
“Watching tape of a team is different than actually playing a team,” senior defender Sarah Marcincin said. “We got to understand their true strengths and weaknesses and realized what we needed to do better next time around.”
Penn State has historically had the Cats number, as NU is 4-24-1 against the Nittany Lions all-time, but the Cats won the teams’ last meeting 3-2 in University Park last season. Armstrong scored the winning goal with seven minutes left in a game in which Penn State fought back from two different one-goal deficits.
“It is going to be a really great match,” coach Tracey Fuchs said. “This is a top 10 team, and I’m hoping we can get another big win over a top 10 team this season.” The Cats beat then-No. 6 Ohio State 3-2 in Columbus on Sept. 24.
NU sits second in the Big Ten with a record of 3-1, a half-game behind No. 5 Ohio State and No.12 Michigan, both of whom are 4-1 in conference. The last time the Cats won multiple Big Ten games was in 2000, and this year is the first time they will finish at least .500 in Big Ten play since 1995.
From 2004 to 2008 under former coach Kelly McCollum, NU went 32-63 and won only three games in the Big Ten. In just under two seasons, Fuchs’ teams have won 23 games and four in conference.
Much of the credit for this turnaround lies with Fuchs and Armstrong. When this duo walked onto the Evanston campus, the Cats hadn’t had a winning season since 1995. Now they are poised to lead NU to its first back-to-back winning seasons since 1994-95.
Last season, Armstrong took the conference by storm, leading the Big Ten with 56 points and finishing second in goals and assists with 22 and 12 respectively. At the time, those marks put her second all-time in NU history in terms of goals and points in one season. In her encore performance this season, Armstrong has broken both of her totals from last year while playing in four fewer games so far.
“The top kids are interested in the program,” Fuchs said. “Players know we are at a top-notch academic institution, and now we are showing them we can be competitive as well.”
