Northwestern University Athletics
The 2000 Field Hockey Season in Review
12/13/2000 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
Dec. 13, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. -
The 2000 Northwestern field hockey team did a lot of learning this year. Under the helm of new coach Marisa Didio, who made her return to Northwestern after coaching the Wildcats from 1990-1994, the team took a step forward. Along with the new coaching staff, five freshmen and two transfers joined the team to create a combination of youth and enthusiasm tempered by inexperience. These newcomers were able to gel with a strong nucleus of seniors and returning players to create a team that was competitive all season.
The team found itself involved in tightly-contested, exciting games throughout the Big Ten season: four out of the six conference matches were decided by one goal. The Wildcats began Big Ten play with an overtime victory over Michigan State, the team's second win of the season against the Spartans (the first came in a tournament in St. Louis). The team consistently put up a fight on hostile ground, taking No.16 Ohio Sate to overtime in Columbus and then dropping a match to Big Ten Conference champion No. 5 Michigan in an extra frame at Ann Arbor. This pattern continued, as the team ended the regular season with a pair of heartbreaking one-goal losses to No. 20 Iowa. The most decisive match of the season came in a victory against Big Ten newcomer Indiana. In their inaugural season, the Hoosiers were held scoreless as the Wildcats tallied seven goals for their largest win of the season.
The backbone of the team this year was fifth-year senior goaltender Jessica Yates. Yates, a four-year starter for the Wildcats who started every game this year, was able to keep the team in games throughout the year. Her 133 saves ties her 1997 mark for seventh on the Cat's all-time single season list. Her 50 saves and .806 percentage in Big Ten play led the conference. This season cemented Yates' place among Northwestern field hockey greats giving her a career record of 515 saves which eclipsed the previous record held by Shannon Small (441 from 1991-1993).
This year's team was able to increase its offensive output from a year ago due in large part by the scoring of junior Nicole Smith, who tallied nine goals and four assists for 22 points. Sophomore Lindsay Millard had two goals and seven assists for 11 regular-season points, and right behind her was senior forward Lindsay Wright who had five goals -- including a hat trick against Indiana -- giving her 10 points on the year. Senior Jodie Condie led the team with nine assists, five coming in Big Ten play. Colleen Hotz also contributed with three goals, all in Big Ten play, placing her third on the team in that category. Smith, Millard, and Condie all had career bests this season, as did senior Wendy Roberts who amassed two goals and seven assists.
Many of the Wildcat newcomers also added to the scoring effort. Sophomore transfer Diane Provencher had goals against Richmond and Kent State and added an assist against Indiana for five regular season points. Freshman Suzi Sutton, playing in every game this year, recorded her first collegiate goal against Indiana on a penalty stroke. Freshman Katie Walshauser tallied her first career point with an assist versus Indiana. A total of ten Wildcat players scored this season.
The success of this year's team led to recognition and accolades. Smith received Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and Northwestern female athlete of the week after a weekend in which she amassed 10 points in wins over Michigan State and Providence. Yates picked up the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award following those games, stopping 12 shots and posting a shutout against Providence. Wildcat players found themselves among the league leaders in many categories. Among Big Ten players, Smith finished 13th in overall points and Millard finished tied for 27th. The Wildcats also made their mark in conference play, with Smith tying for sixth in Big Ten points, Wright tying for 10th and Hotz tying for 14th. Players were recognized for their achievements by the Big Ten coaches at a postseason banquet. Yates was named first team All-Big Ten goaltender, while Wright and Roberts were tabbed with second team honors. Yates also received first team West Region All-America honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. The team also chose to recognize a couple of players, with Roberts receiving the coaches award and Sutton receiving the freshman award.
As the year went by the Wildcats gained the experience and comfort necessary for success. The team returns nine players who saw action in 12 or more games this season, five who were regular starters. With the adjustment period behind, the squad looks for continued improvement next year.
