Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Sports

Picking up where it left off, top-ranked Northwestern began the 2008 campaign with 10 straight victories and looks poised for a run at its fourth consecutive national championship.

NU (10-0) faced only one opponent ranked in the top 25 during the first month of the season. But as the season progressed, so did the difficulty of the schedule. From March 24-30, the Cats took on three ranked opponents - No. 6 Syracuse, No. 9 Georgetown, and No. 18 Vanderbilt.

"We were all really excited for (the challenging schedule)," said junior attacker Hannah Nielsen, who leads NU in scoring this season. "We had gotten some easy wins in the beginning of the season, and now we're playing the tough teams."

NU's first test came on March 24 as they traveled to upstate New York to take on the Orange (8-2). The game stayed close throughout the first half. But early in the second, NU staged an offensive onslaught.

Led by junior attacker Hilary Bowen and sophomore midfielder Danielle Spencer, the Cats reeled off 10 unanswered goals in a span of twenty minutes on their way to a 19-7 victory. Bowen and Spencer each score four goals.

"The way we came out in the second half and really exploded against Syracuse…everyone stepped up, Danielle and Hilary included," Nielsen said. "It was a collective win, and as a team we all picked it up to another level."

The Cats faced a much tougher test four days later, as the Hoyas (8-2) arrived at Lakeside Field in Evanston. After NU took an early 2-0 lead, Georgetown responded with three consecutive goals, leaving the Cats trailing for only the second time this season.

Faced with a rare deficit, the Cats responded with goals from Bowen, Spencer, sophomore midfielder Maggie Bremer and junior midfielder Meredith Frank to take a 7-4 lead with less than nine minutes left in regulation.

The Hoyas, unwilling to concede victory, scored twice to cut the lead to a single point with about four minutes remaining.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools