No. 2 Northwestern’s game against No. 3 Iowa was a clash between two titans, the quintessential irresistible force paradox: the immovable object meets the irresistible force.
The Wildcats’ (12-1, 5-0 Big Ten) defense proved to be the ultimate decider, holding a prolific Hawkeyes (10-2, 2-2) attack scoreless. Goals from freshman back Ilse Tromp and senior midfielder Lauren Wadas propelled NU to a 2-0 victory over Iowa –– the first time the Hawkeyes have been shut out this season.
The victory marks the ‘Cats’ fourth consecutive shutout and 12th straight victory, the team’s longest win streak since 1990.
“It’s just consistency,” coach Tracey Fuchs said of NU’s source of success. “This team is so experienced, so when things go wrong for a couple minutes, nobody gets uptight. We know we’re always going to generate enough chances to score goals.”
The chances came in droves early for the ‘Cats, who tallied seven shots and five penalty corners in the first half. As NU searched for an offensive breakthrough, its defense remained stout, holding Iowa without a penalty corner and just one shot through 30 minutes, despite the absence of sophomore back Maja Zivojnovic.
Zivojnovic, the team’s primary penalty corner shooter and defensive cornerstone, was sidelined for Friday’s contest with an injury. Fuchs tabbed Tromp to fill Zivojnovic’s shoes at center back and on penalty corners.
Tromp responded to the challenge, breaking the 0-0 deadlock out of the intermission.
On NU’s sixth penalty corner of the game, Tromp rifled a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal, marking just the fourth goal Iowa had surrendered in conference play.
“We knew Ilse had played center back for her club, and when we change our system and go four-in-the-back instead of three, she’s the one that goes back there,” Fuchs said. “It was a good adjustment. She plays quite differently than Maja … but we couldn’t be happier with her and how much offense we generated.”
As the fourth quarter commenced, the Hawkeyes’ offense began to find some momentum, ripping off four shots. But all of Iowa’s attacking forays were thwarted by senior goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz, who only made one save in the ‘Cats’ previous two matchups.
Fuchs has hailed Skubisz as the “nation’s best goalkeeper.” The Houston, Texas, native lived up to the billing on Friday.
“She’s a gamer,” Fuchs said. “We know we can really risk and play attacking hockey with her and the rest of the backfield and Greta (Hinke) as our vacuum cleaner in the middle.”
Fresh off the game-winning goal against then-No. 15 Michigan, Wadas provided another late lift for the ‘Cats against the Hawkeyes.
After stripping an Iowa player, Wadas darted past multiple Iowa defenders before firing a shot into the back of the cage for her second goal of the season.
“When the game’s on the line, you want Lauren Wadas with the ball,” Fuchs said. “She might not have all the stats, but she and Greta control everything in the midfield. She’s a beast on defense; she’s really strong on the ball and rarely loses it. Really happy to see her get rewarded.”
NU was able to hold the Hawkeyes’ attack — the nation’s highest scoring unit — at bay for the rest of the game.
The ‘Cats return to Evanston with a brief respite from Big Ten play, hosting Ohio on Sunday for Senior Day. Following the game against the Bobcats, NU will close the season with conference games against No. 6 Rutgers, No. 16 Penn State and No. 9 Maryland.
“This (senior) class has been unbelievable and probably one of the most successful classes in Northwestern field hockey history,” Fuchs said. “They’ve done it all, but they have one more box they need to check. As long as we keep taking game-by-game, we’re going to have a shot to vie for a Big Ten championship, in both the regular season and tournament.”
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