No. 15 Northwestern (6-3, 1-0 Big Ten) ordered some turtle soup over the weekend and boy was it tasty.

The Wildcats faced off against No. 2 Maryland (5-2, 0-1 Big Ten) on Saturday, beating the Terrapins 3-2 behind 2 goals from junior Kelley Stump and eight saves from senior Maddy Carpenter. On Sunday, NU took on the Cardinals from Ball State (3-4) and won 5-1.

Saturday, Stump was in the right place at the right time all game, forcing a penalty stroke in the crease early in the first half. That penalty stroke led to junior Lisa McCarthy’s goal to put NU ahead 1-0 going into halftime. In the second frame, Stump elevated a shot from junior Charlotte Martin above the Maryland goalie for Stump’s first goal. Her second came from a rebound off a penalty corner.

“All of the goals were a result of really good team play, strong defense and pushing the ball up the field,” Stump said. “I just happened to be on the other end.”

During the week, coach Tracey Fuchs discussed welcoming the new Big Ten school in “Wildcat fashion” — physical, fast play. According to Carpenter, the Cats did just that.

“We’ve had two years to prepare for Maryland entering the Big Ten,” Carpenter said. “We were definitely ready for it. I don’t think Maryland was ready for how physical this game can be. They were sliding all over the turf, maybe got pushed around a little bit. They couldn’t handle it.”

To the Terrapins’ credit, they outplayed NU throughout the game with 23 shots, 11 on goal and 12 corners compared to the Cats’ five shots, four on goal and only one corner. On the defensive side, Carpenter was ready for a game against a field hockey titan.

“I was incredibly focused, had a perfect breakfast,” Carpenter said. “I felt balanced, I felt composed. Some days the ball just looks like a beach ball and yesterday was one of those days. My angles were good, I was aggressive, I was able to step out on a few and break up plays before I had to save a shot so that was definitely a difference-maker.”

In Fuchs’ eyes, Carpenter was a huge difference-maker on Saturday.

“I don’t think she’s had to make that many saves for quite a long time,” Fuchs said. “She stepped up big, and she’s a senior captain and we expect that from her, but she faced some tough shots. She was there for most of them.”

Against Ball State on Sunday, NU took on the role Maryland was supposed to play. The Cats came out swinging, defeating the Cardinals 5-1 with five different players scoring goals. NU outplayed Ball State with 15 penalty corners and 21 shots with 14 on goal against five penalty corners and nine shots with seven on goal.

“All the games are important,” sophomore Isabel Flens, who scored her 8th season goal against Ball State, said. “We have to make sure to get as many as we can, whether we play Maryland or Ball State, it doesn’t matter. We just need to get our wins.”

With a win against a top-five team and a lashing against Ball State, expect the No. 15 Wildcats to jump up a few spots to possibly the top ten in the rankings this week.

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Twitter: @mikeonthemic93