Neither the cold nor the opponent stood in the way of Northwestern and its third Big Ten Tournament championship.
Defeating No. 9 Iowa 3-0, the Wildcats were in control for the entire game, only allowing one shot against the Hawkeyes in the entire first half. Junior Ashley Sessa was dominant, shooting 6 of NU’s 16 shots, scoring one goal and assisting the other two. Grace Schulze and Ilse Tromp also got on the board for the ‘Cats.
Overall, the Wildcats dominated possession, outshooting the Hawkeyes
16-3 and drawing four corners to the Hawkeyes’ none.
Northwestern came out of the floodgates early, as Maddie Zimmer brought the ball into the circle for Olivia Bent-Cole to get a look. Bent-Cole’s shot was stopped by Iowa goalie Mia Magnotta.
The Wildcats got another opportunity around five minutes later when Sessa took a shot, but the ball rolled just wide. The ball then went the other way to the Hawkeyes, but Northwestern goalie Juliana Boon stopped any opportunities they could get.
Toward the end of the quarter, Sessa tried finding Grace Schulze on a backdoor pass, but Schulze’s strike hit the outside left post of the goal. After 15 minutes, the score was deadlocked at 0-0.
Northwestern continued to dominate possession at the start of the next frame, with Sessa quickly firing off a shot and then earning the ‘Cats their first corner of the game. Magnotta thwarted a shot by Maja Zivojnovic that was rebounded by Ella Kokinis for another corner. Although both corner attempts wound up unsuccessful, Northwestern quietly proved it was in charge, dominating possession and tallying five shots before Iowa could get a chance at the opposite end.
Frederique van Cleef finally earned Iowa its first chance at a goal, with a shot blocked by Boon. With under two minutes left to go, Zimmer brought the ball downfield for Sessa, whose fifth shot of the game just missed the post once more. Though it was scoreless at the half, Northwestern’s outshooting Iowa 10-1 clearly illustrated the game’s trend so far.
Less than 30 seconds out of the half, the ‘Cats found themselves ahead 1-0. On the opening drive, Sessa passed the ball across the circle, allowing Schulze to swiftly sweep it in for her third goal of the tournament.
Van Cleef marked the first action for Iowa since her previous shot in the third quarter with another, but it was once again saved by Boon. The Hawkeyes made some leeway to chip away at the Wildcats’ dominance, but just barely. Bent-Cole ended the quarter by showing off her speed to get behind an aerial pass — although she eliminated the few Iowa defenders in her way, Magnotta stopped the junior forward’s shot as she was in front of the goal.
However, even after Iowa gained a few more chances to end the third, Northwestern still dominated the possession battle and led 1-0 with 15 minutes left to play.
To open the fourth, Sessa gained yet another chance in the goal circle, but her hit went wide. But it didn’t take long for Northwestern to add another goal in the first few minutes for the final frame, once again with the help of Sessa. Off a penalty corner, Sessa and Zimmer assisted Tromp, whose signature drag flick put the ‘Cats ahead 2-0.
The Big Ten’s leading scorer in Iowa’s Dionne van Aalsum finally got her first shot of the day around five minutes into the fourth, but it was saved by Boon. Bent-Cole and Zivojnovic continued to put pressure on the Hawkeyes with a shot apiece afterward.
Three minutes later, Zimmer then set up Northwestern’s third of the day with a run on the right baseline, handing the ball to Sessa, who further put the game out of Iowa’s hands with her first goal on the day. The 3-0 victory sealed Northwestern as both the regular season and Big Ten Tournament champions.
Up next, the ‘Cats look to continue their success in the NCAA Tournament for their second straight championship. They await their fate in the tournament via the NCAA selection show, which takes place Sunday at 9 p.m.
