Five days after steamrolling through a 48-goal weekend without graduate student attacker Izzy Scane, No. 3 Northwestern battled No. 4 Stony Brook in a Friday night heavyweight bout at Ryan Fieldhouse. The Wildcats (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) rode out an early storm and sailed to a 13-8 victory over the Seawolves (4-1, 0-0 CAA).

Sophomore midfielder Samantha Smith corralled the contest’s opening draw, but Stony Brook turned an NU turnover into instant offense, and attacker Morgan Mitchell put the Seawolves up 1-0 with 14:16 to play in the primary period.

While Scane scored an equalizer, Stony Brook midfielder Ellie Masera took just 13 seconds to give her team a 2-1 edge. The Cats then fired in four unanswered goals, highlighted by senior attacker Erin Coykendall’s otherworldly behind the back finish.

Masera got one back in the frame’s final minute, and the Cats led 5-3 after 15 minutes of play.

Following four-plus minutes of chippy end-to-end action, Smith opened the second quarter scoring tally, but Masera answered back with her third goal of the contest. 

Scane sent two straight scorching shots beyond the grasp of Seawolf goalkeeper Hailey Duchnowksi, while Masera tallied her fourth goal of the evening, handing NU an 8-5 halftime lead.

Graduate student attacker Hailey Rhatigan ripped a missile into the cage midway through the third period, but Mitchell subsequently beat graduate student goalkeeper Molly Laliberty for her second goal of the game. 

The Cats culminated a low scoring third quarter on an especially high note, as Scane beat the Stony Brook defense and the clock for her sixth goal of the night, giving her group a 10-6 superiority headed into the final 15 minutes.

Just over two minutes into the fourth period, Seawolf midfielder Charlotte Verlhust and Masera sliced the deficit to two goals. 

But Scane and graduate student Elle Hansen nullified their efforts, clinching a four goal advantage with 3:32 to play.

On the final play of the night, Scane placed an exclamation mark on the contest, tallying her eighth goal of the game to cement a 13-8 result.

Here’s three takeaways from NU’s home victory over Stony Brook.

Takeaways:

1. A speedy Seawolf star entered Evanston with something to prove

Last season, the Cats cruised to an early 9-4 margin and held on to defeat the Seawolves 16-12.

Masera scored five goals in the losing effort, and has appeared to be the nation’s premier midfielder on the young season. 

With a Tewaraaton contender leading a lightning quick Stony Brook side, coach Joe Spallina’s squad sought after a statement road victory. 

The junior midfielder made her mark on the matchup quickly, and continued to pose a thorn in NU’s side throughout the contest.

2. Scane’s return rapidly ramped up the Cats’ attack

While the Scane Train’s absence didn’t sink coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s crew in its past two games, the graduate student superstar needed to keep NU afloat against the Seawolves.

Stony Brook quickly put the Cats on the backfoot, but Rhatigan fired a pinpoint pass to Scane’s stick for the duo’s first combined point. 

Rhatigan later hit Scane for a go-ahead goal, then Scane sealed her first quarter hat trick. 

Scane was rendered under wraps for much of the second frame, but she notched two quick second quarter goals to propel her team to a three-goal advantage at the intermission.

In a star-studded contest, the 2021 Tewaratton Finalist shined brightest and guided her team to a statement win.

3. NU prevails in physical performance

Through six outings, Amonte Hiller and company had yet to play a contest like this one.

Twelve fouls and three first frame yellow cards set the tone for an especially gritty game on both ends. 

While the second period granted both outfits a reprieve from the card fest, the referees issued 11 fouls.

The low-scoring third quarter proved whistle-heavy. The Cats picked up three yellow cards and eight fouls, but their physicality pushed them to a four-goal lead after 45 minutes of lacrosse.

NU continued piling on the pressure, picking up two more yellows and setting the tone of a tense final period. 

The Cats proved they’re unafraid to get their hands dirty en route to victory, and sealed a significant top-five win.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @jakeepste1n

Related Stories:

—Lacrosse: What To Watch For: No. 3 Northwestern prepares to defend home turf against No. 4 Stony Brook

—Lacrosse: No. 3 Northwestern sets Saturday silver standard in weekend sweep

—Lacrosse: What To Watch For: No. 3 Northwestern seeks successful senior send-off