Northwestern (10-0, 1-0 B1G) has outscored its last three opponents 15-0.
A jarring statistic that explains why its a rare breed: one of three undefeated squads that remain in NCAA Division I field hockey, with a 2.67 scoring margin, the best in the Big Ten Conference.
This year’s team is playing on a level that we haven’t seen it reach in the past couple of years. That statement is not to discredit the past two national championship seasons. It’s meant to encapsulate the next gear that NU has engaged
in its quest for a third straight NCAA title. Tracey Fuchs has room to mix and match her lineup in ways that we haven’t anticipated seeing this deep into the season. A testament to how locked in the Wildcats are.
Better hop on the ‘Cats Express before it departs for the next station. It’s the fastest-moving train in all of the sport.
We’ve got a lot to catch up on.
Penalty Corners
The options for Northwestern on the corner have continued to grow and grow. Ilse Tromp is still the primary shooter up top, no doubt, but Laura Salamanca has begun to see much more work off the insert and Bree Moffett is beginning to see reps with Fuchs’ go-to duo.
In fact, against Michigan State, Moffett was involved on a set piece that Fuchs said she’d been drilling with the offense in the offseason. Working off the insert, Moffett finds Tromp with a backwards “flip” (as Fuchs calls it), opening her up for her blistering drag flick and a score.
Salamanca tried this earlier in non-conference play against Duke, but it was quickly snuffed out by the Blue Devil defense. The adjustment made here was Moffett’s hard sell, working the ball right before making her pass to an unmarked Tromp on the left side.
Let’s wind the clock even further back, to the California trip, and Northwestern’s tinkering with the PC gets pretty wild. One of NU’s four first half scores came courtesy of Olivia Bent-Cole, who stood up on a penalty corner to line up her own shot.
OBC having the ability to create for herself on a penalty corner is a terrifying sight for any defender that already needs to account for Tromp and Ashley Sessa.
So NU has three established plays to turn to in conference play: the classic Sessa-to-OBC-to-Tromp sequence, a backwards pass to the left-hand side and a deke from the stick stopper.
Good luck game planning for that.
Vision and Stick Work
NU’s first two goals against Stanford were the direct result of awareness and high IQ. The Wildcats, by assists per game, are a top-15 team nationally when it comes to field vision. Piper Borz and Ella Kokinis put that on full display, setting up Bent-Cole and Sessa practically in front of the cage for tap-in scores.
Kokinis, in my opinion, is the best on this roster (no knock on anyone else) at advancing the ball in transition. There’s a reason why she flops between the midfield and the front line.
But what’s even more encouraging is the aggressiveness from multiple forwards on the roster, which starts with the captain up front. Here’s a preview of what our play of the week is.
The captain-to-captain butterfly effect began to bubble to the surface on Lakeside Field, as Aerin Krys toiled her stick along the endline to center for Jess Freedman’s first Big Ten goal.
And to cap off the highlight reel of scores, Sol Martinez pulled this 15-meter chip from out of nowhere near the end of NU’s conference opener.
The depth of forwards and attacking midfielders for the Wildcats may be one of the deepest — and if not for recent developments with North Carolina, would be the deepest — in all of the sport. There’s a humble confidence about this squad, and its one that its earned through the first 10 games of the year.
Bottlenecking Defense
On the flip side, Juliana Boon has led the best defense in the country with a .891 save percentage. Yep, that’s top in the country.
But do not let that distract you from what the back line has contributed. It’s been a defensive show all around.
To beat Northwestern, first you need to break the press. Then, you need a midfielder that can work through the second level — a second level that collapses on anyone trying to sneak the ball past the midline. If you can do that, you’ll need to find a way to keep the ball down the center of the field and not get pushed to the sideline by a the pesky trio of Tromp, Emilie Kirschner and Kerry McCormick.
And if you’re able to do all that, congrats. You’ve earned a crack at a goalkeeper who has gone 180 minutes without allowing a ball to go past her. Good luck!
Sounds nearly impossible.
As we get deeper into the season, the Wildcat defense, although they wear purple, is beginning to reflect the colors of fine wine: getting better with time.
Weekly Awards
Player of the Week: Ilse Tromp
Tromp was the best player on the field on a day where Northwestern took Michigan State out of its offense. For 75% of the game, the ball was in Michigan State territory and more often than not, within 25 yards of the cage. Add on two scores, and you get the Big Ten’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
Unit of the Week: Front Line
There isn’t much to say about the attack. Every set piece from this squad seemed threatening — says a lot, considering the 15 total PCs drawn by this squad against Michigan State. The offense was unrelenting and fiery, making its statement to the Big Ten as the unit planning to keep coaches up at night for the next few weeks of field hockey play.
Play of the Week: Sessa’s Backhand Chip
Who else could possibly have gotten this honor? This goal was ridiculous, and you’d never see it coming watching it in real time.
Watching it after the fact makes you realize that Sessa was given too much room, too close to the cage, and Sparty paid for it.
Up Next
NU’s traveling eastward for the weekend for a Friday matchup against Ohio State (4-5, 0-1 B1G) and a Sunday matinee against Michigan (5-3, 1-1 B1G). Northwestern makes part of a two-week span where both teams face four consecutive ranked opponents. For the Buckeyes, the nation’s No. 1 isn’t exactly who you want to see when you’re riding a three-game losing skid, but the Wolverines might be fit for the challenge that the ‘Cats will bring to Ann Arbor. U-M has won four of its last six and recently took then-No. 18 Indiana (now No. 13) to the brink last Saturday.
Friday’s contest is set for a 2 p.m. CDT start while Sunday’s will begin at 11 a.m. CDT. Both games will be available for viewing on Big Ten Plus.
