Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Look to Remain Undefeated at Home
9/14/2006 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 14, 2006
Evanston, Ill. -- After facing three of the top field hockey programs in the country in four days, the Wildcats return home this weekend to welcome Stanford and Yale to the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex. Northwestern (3-4) plays the Cardinal at 1 p.m. Friday and Yale at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
"After a challenging road trip we are all looking forward to competing at home again," McCollum said. "I am excited to see our team continue to respond game after game. We experienced great hockey and learned a great deal about ourselves this past weekend. I know that we are a relentless group that is committed to taking another step this weekend against Stanford and Yale."
Last time out...
Maryland proved why they are the top-ranked field hockey team in the country, defeating Northwestern 7-2 Sunday afternoon at the Terrapin Invitational in College Park, Md.
The 'Cats kept the defending national champions scoreless through the opening 15 minutes of the first half, but the Terps went on an unanswered 3-0 scoring stretch over the next six minutes to enter the break with a commanding advantage.
Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Kyle (San Francisco, Calif./San Francisco University H.S.) made three saves to open the second half before Maryland pushed a goal to the back of the cage to go up 4-0. Maryland added two more goals to inflate the lead to 6-0 midway through the second stanza.
Northwestern got on the scoreboard at the 58:14 mark when Alison Bullock (Boyds, Md./Stone Ridge) took an assist from Meghan Small (Bethlehem, Pa./Moravian Academy) and scooted it to the back of the cage.
Sophomore Annie Bosslet (Granite City, Ill./ Villa Duchesne (Mo.)) recorded the Wildcats' second score 63:42 into the match.
Bosslet and Bullock now lead the 'Cats with three goals on the season. Kyle's 17 saves was a career-high.
"Kyle has kept our team on task and in the game. Her saves kept our team fighting. She played great."
Scouting the Cardinal
Stanford opened the 2006 season with five-consecutive home matches, defeating Massachusetts and Columbia for two wins. The Cardinal dropped three matches to ranked foes in No. 1 Maryland, then-No. 6 American and Wake Forest. Northwestern played the Terps and the Eagles this past weekend, also losing to both. Stanford's match up with Northwestern is the second of three games in the Midwest, as the Cardinal dropped a 2-1 decision to Iowa on Wednesday and will battle Yale in a neutral-site bout on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Wildcats own an 8-3 all-time series record against Stanford.
Scouting the Bulldogs
Yale also comes to the Midwest for a trio of matches, stopping at East Lansing on Thursday before battling Northwestern on Saturday and Stanford in a neutral site match on Sunday. Yale enters the Midwest tour 1-2, losing to Connecticut and Princeton after defeating Virginia Commonwealth to open the season. This will only be the second time in school history the two squads have met in field hockey. Northwestern bested the Bulldogs, 2-1, last season in the two teams' only meeting.
'Cat Nips
• Annie Bosslet has recorded two goals and an assist over the past four matches, and leads the 'Cats with three goals on the season and seven points.
• Sophomore Jill Putnam continues to lead the conference in shots (26) and is fourth in shots per game (3.71).
• As a team, Northwestern leads the Big Ten in shots (122), goals scored (18), and assists (14).
• Sophomore Emily Kyle continues to lead the 'Cats in the cage. She leads the conference in saves (57) and saves per game (8.14 through seven matches).
• Cassie Miller and Amanda Care have provided the Northwestern offense with three assists each.
