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#6 Northwestern went .500 in Ryan Fieldhouse this weekend, falling to #2 Notre Dame on Friday night before returning to dominate Arizona State on Sunday.
The ‘Cats went back and forth with the Irish before eventually losing 17-15. Sophomore Izzy Scane led the team with four goals and four assists, making her three-for-three in scoring four or more goals per game this season. Additionally, senior Megan Kinna added three scores and junior Lauren Gilbert tacked on two. Freshman Jane Hansen lived up to pre-season expectations with two goals.
Defensively, sophomore goalkeeper Madison Doucette stood out in the second half with seven saves and only six goals against. With Doucette in the net, the ‘Cats went on a 4-0 run in the first part of the half to close ND’s lead. Julie Krupnick started the game for Northwestern and had three saves.
The Wildcats and the Irish were neck-and-neck in both draw controls and shots, but Northwestern dominated the game in terms of ground balls, picking up 23 compared to Notre Dame’s 12. In the end, the Irish were just better able to finish their shots and made a few extra crucial saves in net to finish the game.
On Sunday, the ‘Cats recovered from the ND loss to smash Arizona State 28-12. Junior Brennan Dwyer came out hot, topping the program-record for draw controls in a single game with 21 DCs against the Sun Devils.
Gilbert led Northwestern in both goals and assists with five scores (all in the first half) and three helpers for eight points total. Senior Lindsey McKone and Scane each added three goals. A total of 12 different players scored for the ‘Cats on Sunday, with five of them being freshmen.
This offensive performance was also record-setting — the team’s 23 first-half goals set a new mark for the most points scored in one half under Kelly Amonte Hiller. On top of that, the Wildcats more than doubled Arizona State’s number of shots (they had 40 to the Sun Devils’ 19) and draw controls (NU had 30, ASU 12).
Next weekend, Northwestern will host another top-ten team in Ryan Fieldhouse, tangling with #7 Syracuse on Saturday at 7 p.m. Central.