It was a wild beginning of September for Northwestern athletics from the excitement of the football team’s win over Boston College to the shellacking the women’s soccer team took at the hands of No. 2 Stanford and everything in between. Let’s take a look at what some of NU’s teams did during the first five days of the month.
Field Hockey
Home openers are always exciting and the field hockey team’s debut at Lakeside Field on Friday was no exception. After a scoreless opening half against Virginia Commonwealth, the Wildcats struck first when senior forward Regan Mooney stickhandled her way through the defense to slip the ball between the goalie’s legs. Junior midfielder Chelsea Armstrong added her sixth goal of the year ten minutes later, and the Cats held off a feisty Rams rally late to notch a 2-1 victory.
Days later the team was back at Lakeside Field for a match with No. 17 Albany. Armstrong got the offense going on a fast break 30 minutes into the game, as she sent a pass to senior forward Claire Thompson for a tip-in goal, her third career score. The Great Danes responded with a goal four minutes into the second half to tie the game at one. Albany then pounced on a bouncing ball in the Cats’ defensive circle and drove home the winning goal with 52 seconds remaining. NU had one last chance to tie, earning a penalty corner with no time on the clock, but Armstrong’s strike was cleared off the line as the Cats suffered their first loss of the season.
The team will face a stern test its next time out, as NU travels to No. 1 Maryland on Saturday.
Soccer
The women’s and men’s soccer teams set out on opposite paths to begin the month of September. While the men enjoyed success in the Chicagoland area, the women went to California only to drop both matches they played.
The men (1-1-1) began the month at Toyota Park with a Thursday matchup against No. 7 California. The Cats controlled the match from the opening whistle, outshooting the Golden Bears 15-7, including seven shots in the first half alone. Despite its role as the aggressors, NU could not find the back of the net in a scoreless draw.
The Cats followed with a match against University of Missouri – Kansas City on Monday, in which they once again came out on the attack. This time NU found the back of the net 11 minutes into the game courtesy of sophomore forward Reed Losee and the Cats went on to add another in the 48th minute, as they triumphed 2-0 over the Kangaroos.
The women (0-5-0) fell victim to a disastrous 23-minute span on Thursday, as St. Mary’s scored three goals in that span to earn a 3-2 victory against NU. Sophomore Kate Allen scored both Cats’ goals, including a 10th-minute strike which gave NU its first lead of the season.
Three days later, the team traveled to Palo Alto, Calif. to take on No. 2 Stanford. The Cats were outmatched to say the least in that contest, giving up three goals in each half while getting outshot 36-4.
The men return to action Friday, as their participation in the adidas/Magnuson Inn Invitational will commence with a matchup against Portland in Dekalb, Ill., while the women take the field Sunday at Illinois State.
Volleyball
The volleyball team (5-0) continued its dominance of opponents this past weekend, easily sweeping its way to a Chicago Challenge championship.
The Cats’ first challenger was Loyola (Chicago) on Friday and NU wasted no time grabbing control thanks to a 4-0 run in the middle of the first set that gave the Cats a six-point advantage. NU had just as easy of a time in sets two and three, cruising to a 3-0 victory. Sophomore outside hitter Stephanie Holthus had nine kills and 12 digs in the match, while freshman Hannah Crippen had 10 kills to lead the Cats.
In the championship match, NU faced off against the invitational hosts, UIC. The Cats started off quickly once again and coasted to another 3-0 win. Holthus was spectacular in the Saturday finale with 17 kills and a .436 swing percentage, earning tournament MVP honors. Freshman Yewande Akanbi contributed nine kills on just 16 swings for the Cats.
NU is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1997 and has now won 15 straight sets to open the campaign, the Cats’ best such streak since 1984 when the Cats won 22 straight to commence the season. NU will look to extend its streak at the Magnolia Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
For coverage of the football team’s triumph over Boston College click here and here.
