By Matt Baker The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern's primetime game Friday at Minnesota is a matchup of polar opposites.
NU (5-5, 1-1 Big Ten) boasts one of the best offenses in the Big Ten, sharing the conference lead with 20 goals scored through 10 games.
Minnesota's defense is one of the stingiest in the conference, allowing only six goals through its first 10 matches.
Despite going up against a strong defense at its home field, NU coach Stephanie Erickson said she believes the Wildcats' offense will be able to put points on the board.
"We're aware of how they play, and I think we're ready for that," Erickson said.
Part of the Cats' offensive success stems from their ability to get everyone - even the fullbacks - to take shots.
Junior Shannon Schneeman leads the team and is sixth in the conference with 10 points despite spending half of her time as a defender. Senior Tori Bohannon has chipped in seven points this season as a defensive back.
"We have a lot of people who are really courageous and go one-on-one, and that's a hard thing to teach," Erickson said. "It's more of an attitude than a skill."
For Minnesota (6-3-1, 0-2), its defensive dominance starts with one of the best goalkeeping tandems in the conference.
Sophomore goalie Lindsey Dare is fifth in the nation with a .931 save percentage, the highest in the Big Ten. And freshman Chelsey Turner ranks second in the Big Ten in saves per game and save percentage.
Though the Gophers play a different breed of defense by keeping their defenders nearer to their goal than most teams, Erickson said the Cats have succeeded against teams using similar styles.
"When a team plays like Minnesota does, you just have to possess the ball and keep it moving quickly," Erickson said.
Besides facing a stingy defense, the Cats are also up against Minnesota's home crowd. Minnesota has opened the season 5-1 at home, outscoring their opponents 11-2.
The game will be just NU's second on the road this season.
After facing Minnesota's unusual defensive scheme Friday, NU's opponent Sunday will look more familiar. Ohio State (4-4-1, 0-2) features an attacking, dynamic offense similar to NU's, Erickson said.
"It's going to make us feel like we're playing ourselves," Erickson said. "We just need to be really disciplined and organized on defense and committing to our attack.
"It's going to be a very exciting game against them."
Reach Matt Baker at m-baker@northwestern.edu.
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