Chelsea Armstrong is now the all-time points leader in Northwestern history and is a tally away from becoming the Wildcats’ top goal scorer.
What makes this milestone so special is that the junior forward has rewritten the record book in just over two seasons. Armstrong transferred from the University of Western Australia after playing one season there, so this is her last year of NCAA eligibility. She already holds the second- and third-highest totals in team history for goals in a season and is well on her way to nabbing the top spot with her 13 tallies on the year. The all-time record is 28.
“What a great player, person, leader,” coach Tracey Fuchs said. “We’re so proud of her. That record’s been around for a while, and it couldn’t have happened to a better person.”
NU (7-2) leaned on Armstrong heavily this weekend as it took on two top-20 teams. She scored five of eight Cats goals as NU was able to fend off No. 11 California and No. 18 Virginia.
The Golden Bears shot up the rankings with a surprising undefeated start, but the Cats were able to keep them in check on Friday. Armstrong got the scoring going with an acrobatic shot as she fell to the ground that got by California’s senior goalie Maddie Hand. Armstrong struck again minutes later with a rocket shot off a perfectly executed penalty corner.
NU kept up its relentless pressure in the second half, leading to a goal from Maria Kovalchuk. The sophomore midfielder deflected a hard pass from Armstrong past Hand to give NU a 3-0 lead, giving Armstrong the all-time points record. The Golden Bears called a timeout and re-emerged a different team, putting up four shots in a nine-minute span. The Cats’ defense held off the furious attack thanks in large part to three key saves from freshman goalkeeper Maddy Carpenter. California finally broke through with five minutes remaining on a shot from the top of the circle, but NU was able to run out the clock from there to preserve the 3-1 win.
On Sunday, it was the Cats that fell behind early, as Virginia scored just 2:45 into the contest. NU slowly regained its composure following the shocking start, but it was Armstrong’s goal with under a minute remaining in the first half that lit the fire for the Cats. NU came out firing in the second half with another Armstrong tally just under a minute into the frame. Armstrong completed her hat trick seven minutes later to tie the career goals record.
“Once we got the first one and got to halftime, I saw a new look in their eyes,” Fuchs said. “They just came out and played the best second half I’ve seen all season.”
But the Cats were not done yet as sophomore Nikki Parsley gave NU a 4-2 lead a little more than a minute after Armstrong’s third score. The Cavaliers pressed onwards, cutting the deficit to one with a Katie Robinson deflection past Carpenter. It was the Cats who got the final laugh, however, with senior Regan Mooney’s fourth goal of the year salting the game away.
