Northwestern University Athletics
Field Hockey Heads to Big Ten Tournament
11/6/2002 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
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Nov. 6, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern's field hockey team enters this weekend's 2002 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament on a two-game winning streak. That may seem small potatoes to the 17-2 Michigan Wolverines or the 18-2 Michigan State Spartans but to this team it was a huge mountain to climb.
After starting the season 4-4, NU dropped eight straight and was held scoreless for the last six. But in the final weekend of the season, NU righted the ship in its last two games and turned those zeros against the opponent.
Playing its last regular-season conference game against Indiana, NU followed a relentless defensive effort to a 1-0 win. The win assured NU of a sixth-place finish in Big Ten play and helped build momentum for the tournament. That momentum hit full stride two days later, as NU outshot Colgate 22-7 in a 3-0 win. Senior netminder Kendra Mesa recorded both shutouts for the Wildcats.
Following the strong performances by the defense, NU's offense followed suit. In the last two games, the Wildcats outshot their opponents 34-9 and outscored them 4-0-A huge improvement over the previous eight games when Northwestern was outshot 91-34 and outscored 17-2.
Sophomore Candice Cooper played a huge role in the offensive turnaround, as the Illinois native recorded 14 shots in the final two contests. She added her team-leading eighth goal of the year and tallied her third assist in the two wins. Senior Lindsey Millard and freshman Holly Palin are tied for second on the team with four goals apiece.
With momentum and confidence on its side, NU enters virtually uncharted territory, holding just a 3-8 record in Big Ten Field Hockey Tournaments. Since 1994-the tournament's first year-NU has gone beyond the first round only three times.
On the other side, Penn State has won four of the nine tournament titles and holds a 1-0 tournament record against the 'Cats. PSU won 2-1 in 1995, a tournament the Lions hosted.
