Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Begin 2010 in New York State of Mind
8/25/2010 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 25, 2010
Northwestern (0-0, 0-0) at No. 8 Syracuse (0-0, 0-0)
Friday, Aug. 27
J.S. Coyne Stadium
Syracuse, N.Y. • 1 p.m. CT • Live Stats • In-Game Twitter Updates
Northwestern (0-0, 0-0) vs. Northeastern (0-0, 0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 28
J.S. Coyne Stadium
Syracuse, N.Y. • 1 p.m. CT • Live Stats • In-Game Twitter Updates
Northwestern (0-0, 0-0) at Colgate (0-0, 0-0)
Monday, Aug. 30
Tyler's Field
Hamilton, N.Y. • 6 p.m. CT
Northwestern Field Hockey Weekly Release 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After posting a 12-win regular season in 2009 -- the highest win total by an NU team since 1995 -- Northwestern looks to carry that momentum into year two of the Tracey Fuchs era when it opens the season this weekend. Playing the first three of eight-straight road games to begin the year, NU faces No. 8 Syracuse on its home turf Friday before meeting Northeastern and Colgate on Saturday and Monday, respectively.
Start times from Syracuse against both the Orange and the Huskies are set for 1 p.m. CT, while Monday's contest at Colgate will be an evening match (6 p.m. CT). Click on the links above to follow live stats and live in-game Twitter updates during Northwestern's trip to upstate New York.
NFHCA Unveils Preseason Rankings
Northwestern spent much of the 2009 season among the top-20 teams in the Kookaburra/NFHCA Coaches' Poll and begins the new campaign on the cusp of the rankings once again. NU received 148 votes in the poll, the second-highest total for any team not officially ranked in the top 20. Five Big Ten teams are included in the nation's top 20 while the 'Cats' initial opponent of 2010, Syracuse, checks in at No. 8 after a second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
Repeating History?
A year ago at this time, Northwestern began its first season under head coach Tracey Fuchs with back-to-back victories in dramatic fashion. While hosting the Lakeside Classic, NU defeated Boston University and Ohio University in sudden-victory overtime on consecutive days, posting two of its school-record four overtime wins in 2009.
Now in its 32nd year of varsity competition, Northwestern is 19-12 all-time in season-openers.
NU Kicks Off 2010 with 5-0 Exhibition Win vs. Iowa
After nearly two weeks of intrasquad competition, a coach can rarely predict how well a team will perform in its first test against an outside opponent. But Tracey Fuchs likely walked away from NU's scrimmage against Iowa with an extra dose of confidence after seeing her team blitz the Hawkeyes in the second half en route to a 5-0 victory. Chelsea Armstrong scored two goals -- both off penalty corners -- and the defense locked up a shutout with strong play in the cage from returners Katie Lynch and Amanda Wirth. Northwestern dominated play following a scoreless first half and outshot Iowa, 17-6, on the afternoon.
Armstrong Aims to Avoid Sophomore Slump
Coming to Northwestern in 2009 as a former defender and relative unknown, Chelsea Armstrong immediately began scoring in bunches for the Wildcats and eventually finished as the Big Ten regular-season leader in goals with 22. Armstrong notched three hat tricks in 2009, including a four-goal outburst in a victory over Central Michigan. After transferring to NU from the University of Western Australia, Armstrong was granted a fourth year of athletic eligibility by the NCAA and will be with the 'Cats for three more seasons.
According to Seniority
While Tracey Fuchs may be expecting some significant contributions from members of her freshman and sophomore classes, she also has a core group of seniors who offer a wealth of experience to the NU lineup. The Wildcats started six seniors in their exhibition lineup against Iowa, including four in the line of defense (Stacy Uchida, Sarah Marcincin, Megan Jamieson and Zoe Almquist) and one in the cage (Katie Lynch). Midfielder and three-year starter Kendra Sirak rounded out the group of senior starters.
Series Records
The Wildcats own a 1-0 record against the Orange with NU defeating Syracuse 2-0 in the only previous meeting back in 2003. Northwestern will be trying to defend its 6-5-1 all-time advantage against Northeastern on Saturday, while the Wildcats will also be looking for their second win in as many tries against the Raiders on Monday. NU and Colgate last squared off in 2002.
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