PRINCETON, NJ – Trailing in a game for the first time all season, No. 2 Northwestern completely flipped the script in the third quarter against No. 16 Princeton on Sunday.
‘Cats on top! #EarnIt pic.twitter.com/SazCGdGaIu
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) September 29, 2024
Behind 1-0 on a goal from the Tigers’ Lydia Bills, the Wildcats scored three goals in rapid succession. First, with 12:23 left in the third, sophomore Ashley Sessa deflected a shot from graduate Lauren Wadas into the back of the cage to tie the score. Less than a minute later, Sessa gave Northwestern a 2-1 lead when she scored off of a rebound, and 1:20 after that, sophomore Oliva Bent-Cole intercepted a pass at the Wildcats’ 25-yard line and burst upfield, burying another goal to build a 3-1 advantage.
Miss the action? Catch today’s highlights ???? pic.twitter.com/T4FXYRNOdI
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) September 29, 2024
Although the Tigers scored early in the fourth to make it 3-2, they wouldn’t come any closer.
The win elevates Northwestern to 10-0 on the season, the program’s best start since 1985 when it began the year 14-0. Sunday also marked the program’s 26th consecutive regular season win.
While it was the first time the Wildcats allowed more than one goal in a game this season, they still dominated a majority of the play. They outshot the Tigers 17-7 (13-4 on goal) and had nine corners compared to Princeton’s one. Sessa alone accounted for nine of the Wildcats’ 17 shots.
Northwestern heads back to Evanston for a pair of games next week. It hosts Rutgers on Friday at 3 p.m. CT and Penn State on Sunday at noon CT.
