Field Hockey

Relentless attack and stifling defense led No. 16 Northwestern to a second consecutive shutout victory Friday afternoon over Ohio State 2-0 in Columbus, Ohio.

Junior midfielder Isabel Flens opened the scoring for the Cats (11-6, 4-3 Big Ten), deflecting a shot from senior midfielder Caroline Troncelliti past Ohio State goalkeeper Liz Tamburro in the 26th minute. The goal came during a four-minute stretch in which Flens recorded five shots.

Flens, who leads NU with 15 goals this season, led all players with 13 shots on the afternoon.

Redshirt freshman forward Pascale Massey doubled the Cats’ advantage midway through the second half, knocking home the rebound of junior midfielder Lauren Bernardi’s shot.

The two goals were more than enough to lead NU to victory. The Buckeyes (8-7, 4-3) mustered only two shots in the contest, neither of which were on goal. Ohio State also recorded just one penalty corner.

The Cats’ defensive performance was a continuation from Sunday’s 3-0 win over Michigan State. In that match, NU gave up no penalty corners and allowed one shot on goal.

The Cats were similarly dominant on the offensive end Friday, putting 19 of their 29 shots on goal and earning eight penalty corners. Flens saw her penalty stroke late in the match saved by Tamburro.

NU will take a brief hiatus from Big Ten play as the team travels to face Ohio University on Sunday.

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Twitter: @ckpaxton