No. 2 Northwestern’s start to the season has been perfect, reeling in ten straight wins coming into the weekend.
After two dominant wins — a 4-0 win over Rutgers and 7-2 win over No. 17 Penn State — the ’Cats have made their case to be the top-ranked team in the country.
“I would put our lineup against anybody,” coach Tracey Fuchs said. “I definitely think we’re top one or two in the country.”
On Friday, the Wildcats (12-0, 5-0 Big Ten) continued its campaign against the battle-tested Scarlet Knights (4-5, 1-2 Big Ten), with Rutgers facing its fourth consecutive ranked opponent. However, against a tough Scarlet Knight defense that had allowed just one goal in its first quarters this season, the ’Cats struggled early on, not getting a shot off until the 2nd.
The ’Cats and Scarlet Knights remained in a grueling defensive match for most of the first half. With 34 seconds left, the Scarlet Knights had a golden opportunity to break the game open with four straight penalty corners. But NU’s relentless ball pressure proved insurmountable, allowing only one shot attempt, which was swiftly swept aside by graduate student goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz.
“We always tell our flyer, who’s the one that pressures the ball, if you get hit, you’re in the right place,” Fuchs said.
NU carried that momentum into a dominant second-half surge, kickstarting the offense with 13 shots and nine penalty corners en route to a 4-0 win. The ’Cats took advantage of uncharacteristic Scarlet Knight miscues, such as their first two yellow cards of the season and two penalty stroke opportunities, both converted by sophomore forward Ashley Sessa.
A tip-in goal on an empty net a few minutes later hit a few milestones for Sessa, marking her first hat-trick performance with the ’Cats. The UNC transfer is becoming an offensive juggernaut, leading the team in goals, points and shots this season.
However, the other aspects of her game are where Fuchs said Sessa excels.
“She’s an Olympian and a national team player, but I think where she has really shined is her feistiness on defense, and that’s contagious,” Fuchs said. “I’m really pleased with the way she’s come in this season and fit right into a pretty good attack.”
It has been a stifling showing from Fuchs’ team this season, holding opponents to three goals and 7.7 shots per game through their 11 games, compared to NU’s marks of 29 and 16.4, respectively, further inflated by a dominant seven-goal, 29-shot outing on Sunday.
Sunday’s matchup with the No. 17 Nittany Lions (6-5, 1-2 Big Ten) was akin to a cat playing with a toy.
Following a pair of penalty corners for NU seven minutes into the game, sophomore back Ilse Tromp sent a ball into the shooting circle. Graduate student midfielder Chloe Relford dove to redirect the shot, poking it into the net to put the ’Cats up 1-0. It was Relford’s first goal of the season.
“It was a well-executed corner,” Fuchs said. “I’m really happy for her, because it’s been a long road for her to get back on the board.”
Three minutes later, Tromp fired another shot into the circle. Senior attacker Maddie Zimmer redirected it for Tromp’s second assist of the match.
Just 60 seconds after the ’Cats took a 2-0 lead, graduate student midfielder Lauren Wadas found the net on a penalty corner to put NU up 3-0. She wasn’t finished. Forty seconds later, she buried another to make it 4-0 ’Cats in the first quarter.
“We came out strong and we put them under the gun early,” Fuchs said. “To get four goals in the first quarter, that’s huge.”
The ’Cats added a fifth goal when Sessa scored 48 seconds into the second half. Sessa tallied another –– her fifth of the weekend –– with a slick wraparound shot in the fourth quarter. Senior forward Lane Herbert rounded out the scoring less than a minute later with her first goal of the year.
NU stands a perfect 12-0 after this weekend’s pair of wins. It has outscored opponents 36-5 and only trailed in one match – when Princeton struck first en route to a 3-2 ’Cats win Sept. 29.
“We’re growing. We’re getting better,” Fuchs said. “(We’re) really happy with this weekend.”
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
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