Northwestern’s senior class, one of the most decorated in program history, has a couple more boxes to check, coach Tracey Fuchs said after the team defeated Iowa on Oct. 6.
On Sunday, the No. 1 Wildcats (13-1, 5-0 Big Ten) capped off their Senior Day festivities with a 5-0 shellacking of Ohio. The team’s final nonconference triumph added another tally to ever-increasing marks in the win column for NU’s graduating players, who have accumulated more than 60 victories in their time in Evanston.
But the ‘Cats have yet to win a Big Ten regular season or tournament championship in nearly a decade –– honors Fuchs said are well within reach.
NU’s push for the conference’s regular season title comes to a climax this weekend. The ‘Cats travel to State College on Friday to take on No. 16 Penn State (7-6, 2-3), before a pivotal clash against the Big Ten’s lone undefeated squad, No. 4 Rutgers (14-0, 5-0).
Here are three notable storylines to monitor ahead of NU’s two-game weekend road trip:
1. The ‘Cats penalty corners
With sophomore back Maja Zivojnovic sidelined, freshman back Ilse Tromp, senior midfielder Lauren Wadas and junior midfielder Lane Herbert have stepped into the Dutch international’s stead on NU’s penalty corners.
The ‘Cats converted four of their 10 corners against the Bobcats, with three different players bagging goals — Tromp, Wadas and freshman forward Olivia Bent-Cole.
Following NU’s victory over Michigan State, Fuchs said that to win in the Big Ten, the ‘Cats need to convert one out of every four or five corners. Despite a 40% conversion rate on penalty corners Sunday, Fuchs is still looking to tinker.
“We just need to keep tightening our corners,” Fuchs said. “I thought our percentage was really good (Sunday). We had some good shots from Ilse, Wadas and Lane.”
2. NU’s five-game shutout streak
Fuchs said Tromp has adjusted well in her new central position on the backline despite boasting a different playstyle than Zivojnovic.
Tromp’s positional shift is one of just several factors bolstering the team’s defense, a unit which is holding opponents to a scoring average of 0.5 goals per contest. The ‘Cats have conceded just seven goals this season — the fewest in the country — notably shutting out their five most recent opponents, including a pair of then-top 15 teams in Iowa and Michigan.
Senior goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz, who Fuchs has hailed as the nation’s top goaltender, has been equally instrumental. Against Princeton — the game which commenced NU’s shutout streak — Skubisz tied a season-high with six saves. Against the Hawkeyes, Skubisz came up with a quartet of fourth quarter saves to keep the clean sheet.
Although the shots can sometimes be few and far between, Skubisz, Tromp and the rest of the backline will look to hold the Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights — two teams which average 2.5 and 2.4 goals per game, respectively — off the board.
3. The ‘Cats look to lock up first regular season title in a decade
In her 15th season at NU’s helm, Fuchs is searching for her second regular season and conference titles.
The ‘Cats won their last Big Ten regular season title in 2013, and the veteran coach collected her first conference tournament crown in the following season.
With NU slated to take on three top-20 opponents in its final regular season games, Fuchs and the ‘Cats look to head into postseason play on the highest of notes.
“This has been one of the most rewarding seasons of my coaching career,” Fuchs said. “I hardly have to do anything because our leadership is so good and so strong, and our culture is really amazing. That’s a tribute to our seniors and all the work they’ve put in over the last four or five years.”
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— Field Hockey: No. 3 Northwestern sweeps weekend homestand, extends win streak to 11 games
