Field Hockey

For the fourth time in the past five weeks, freshman forward Bente Baekers received Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors. The award comes after the Netherlands native helped NU snap its three-game losing streak.

During the slump, Baekers scored just one goal in three games, but she came in the clutch when the Cats needed it most. In Sunday’s game against No. 19 Rutgers, Baekers scored first to give NU an early lead, something the Cats hadn’t done during their three-game losing streak.

Later in the game, with just under two minutes remaining and NU up by two, Baekers added an insurance goal to push the game further out of reach.

The freshman standout has been stellar for the Cats all season, as the leading offense threat for the team. Baekers has taken 25 more shots than the second shot taker on the team and has 21 more points than NU’s second-leading point scorer. For the season, Baekers leads the Big Ten with 19 goals and ranks third in the country in goals.

With three games remaining before the Big Ten Tournament, Baekers has a chance to finish the season in the top 10 for points scored in a season by a Cats’ player. She is currently at 39 points, only five points behind Isabel Flens, who currently sits in 10th place with 44 points in 2016.

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Twitter: @andrewcgolden