As the clock wound down, the scoreboard at Lakeside Field showcased a rare result last Monday — a loss for No. 1 Northwestern. Then-No. 8 Princeton took down the top-ranked squad on the road by a score of 3-2, handing the hosts their first regular season loss since 2023.
Despite the loss, the Wildcats (13-1, 5-0 Big Ten) maintained the top ranking in the Division I National Coaches Poll. They are the first team to be ranked first in the country for seven straight weeks since North Carolina in 2022.
NU bounced back from its first loss with a tandem of ranked victories, taking down No. 15 Rutgers 5-0 and No. 10 Maryland 2-1. The ’Cats have now won five straight games over both opponents.
NU began the weekend in Piscataway, New Jersey, where it took on the Scarlet Knights (8-7, 3-3 Big Ten).
The game saw little action through much of the first quarter, with neither team logging a shot attempt until over seven minutes in. Later in the quarter, the ’Cats put pressure on their opponent, taking two more shots before junior forward Ashley Sessa drew a penalty corner.
Sessa both inserted and finished the play, passing the ball to senior defender Maja Zivojnovic, before rushing into the goalmouth to deflect Zivojnovic’s shot into the net.
With NU holding a 1-0 lead, Rutgers looked to get on the board, attempting five shots in the first three minutes of the second quarter. Near the end of the quarter, the Scarlet Knights were forced to play with 10 players after a green card was issued, and the ’Cats took advantage.
Junior forward Olivia Bent-Cole stole the ball from a Rutgers player and ran down the backline toward the goal. She found graduate student forward Grace Schulze, who slotted a shot past multiple defenders and into the back of the net.
Despite outshooting NU 6-2 in the second quarter, the Scarlet Knights were unable to find their first goal, and the contest went into halftime with the ’Cats leading 2-0.
In the third quarter, both squads traded shot attempts, but neither scored until NU drew another penalty corner with two minutes remaining. Sessa inserted the ball to Bent-Cole, who dished it to Zivojnovic, and she shot it toward the left side of the goal. The Rutgers goalkeeper deflected the ball, but it snuck past her into the goal.
The ’Cats looked to add to their 3-0 lead in the fourth quarter. Sessa, running parallel to the goal just inside the shooting circle, narrowly snuck the ball past the goalkeeper for the score.
In the final minute of the contest, NU wasn’t done yet. Bent-Cole sent a shot past the outstretched goalkeeper to Sessa, who was waiting right in front of the goal and knocked the ball in. It was Sessa’s third goal of the game and first career hat trick. Zivojnovic is now one of eight ’Cats with at least five points this season.
The ’Cats weren’t scared of using the full clock, as they scored four of their five goals in the final two minutes of quarters.
Sessa’s seven points (three goals and one assist) were the most by an NU player in a single game this season. Bent-Cole logged her first-career three-assist contest.
In Sunday’s game, NU took on the Terrapins (8-6, 4-3 Big Ten). This marked the ’Cats’ fifth contest against a top-10 opponent this year.
The game almost immediately took a different turn from Friday’s match, as NU conceded a goal to Maryland midfielder Djuna Eikelboom in the sixth minute.
The ’Cats were dominated throughout the rest of the first half, as they did not attempt a shot until the second quarter and were outshot 7-1 through 30 minutes of play.
Early in the third quarter, NU earned an opportunity to tie the game. Graduate student midfielder Maddie Zimmer was fouled hard in front of the goal and received a penalty stroke. She shot the ball over the head of the goalkeeper and into the back of the net, tying the game at 1-1.
The ’Cats kept the pressure on for the rest of the quarter, attempting five more shots before earning a penalty corner. After Sessa passed the ball in and the Maryland goalkeeper saved a shot from junior defender Ilse Tromp, Zivojnovic possessed the ball near the left side of the goal. She knocked a shot past a diving defender and the goalkeeper for the score and the 2-1 lead.
The NU defense held strong throughout the fourth quarter, allowing just one shot in the final 15 minutes. The ’Cats held on for the narrow 2-1 victory over their ranked foe.
Over the two games, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Juliana Boon recorded eight saves and allowed just one goal. Zimmer tallied her fourth goal of the season, and Zivojnovic has logged points in three consecutive games.
In the home stretch of the regular season, NU heads home to take on No. 14 Michigan and No. 12 Ohio State next weekend.
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