Women’s Soccer

The Wildcats went wild in the second half Sunday, scoring 3 goals in a span of 24 minutes and blanking James Madison en route to the team’s second win of the weekend.

Northwestern (2-0-0) broke open the scoring in the 63rd minute when junior midfielder Grace Orndorff slotted home a rebound after sophomore defender Kayla Sharples hit the post on her free kick. The Dukes (0-2-0) were able to get off two shots on goal in the second half, but the Cats added two late-goals in the 84th and 87th minutes, preventing a James Madison comeback.

With only 6 minutes left in the game, freshman forward Maddy Lucas scored the first goal in her NU career, finishing off a lead ball from sophomore midfielder Marisa Viggiano. Lucas made the most of her playing time as a reserve, recording her first goal in just 36 minutes on the pitch.

But the Cats weren’t done.

Just 3 minutes later, sophomore forward Brenna Lovera scored her second goal of the season, ripping a penalty shot past the Dukes goalkeeper. Lovera propelled the team past VCU in overtime in NU’s season-opener on Friday.

Meanwhile, NU junior goalkeeper Lauren Clem recorded her second-straight clean sheet, tallying two saves. The Cats have held their opponents to just three shots on goal in the season’s first two games as the defense has been stifling opponents’ attackers.

NU is back in action against DePaul on Aug. 25 in a crosstown matchup and will have the opportunity to start the season with three straight wins for the second year in a row.

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Twitter: @Dan-Waldman