Northwestern
Ohio State
'Cats Open Big Ten Slate at Ohio State, Face Kent State
9/15/2016 3:10:00 PM | Field Hockey
| NORTHWESTERN FIELD HOCKEY: GAME DAY INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | BROADCAST | LIVE STATS |
| Friday, Sept. 16 |
Ohio State | 2 p.m. CT | Buckeye Varsity Field (Columbus, Ohio) |
OhioStateBuckeyes.com | GameTracker |
| Sunday, Sept. 18 |
Kent State | 11 a.m. CT | Murphy-Mellis Field Kent, Ohio |
KentStateSports.com | SIDEARM |
| Social: Twitter (@NUFHCats and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (@NUFHCats) | Facebook | |||||
EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 15 Northwestern gets its Big Ten season underway Friday when it travels to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State. The Wildcats also travel to Kent State for a nonconference game on Sunday.
Friday's contest gets underway at 2 p.m. Central time while Sunday's matchup is slated to begin at 11 a.m. CT.
Northwestern couldn't have been more dominant in posting a pair of shutout wins at home over Ball State and Colgate last weekend. The Wildcats out-scored their two foes by a 13-0 margin and out-shot their opponents by a combined 69-1. Senior Isabel Flens paced NU with four goals and an assist in the two matches. Elena Curley and Dominique Masters also both tallied a goal in each contest.
Flens leads the charge for Northwestern offensive with six goals and four assists for 14 points this season. Curley and Masters have contributed four goals apiece. In all, 11 different Wildcats have scored goals through the team's first six matches of the year.
Sunday's 8-0 victory over Colgate marked the team's highest goal output since a 9-3 win over Dartmouth on Sept. 5, 2014 while the eight-goal margin of victory was its largest since an 8-0 win over Kent State on Oct. 7, 2012.
In goal, Lindsay von der Luft and Annie Kalfas split time in goal for the 'Cats against Ball State and Colgate, though neither was forced to face a shot on goal. With a .806 save percentage and a 1.53 goals-against average, von der Luft ranks among the Big Ten leaders in both categories. Northwestern's three shutouts are tied for the most in the nation. The team's 0.99 goals-against average ranks third nationally.
Scouting Ohio State
The Buckeyes (3-3) have won three in a row after dropping their first three contests of the season. Ohio State is coming off a 2-1 overtime win over Miami (Ohio) on Sunday. Adelaide Penzone notched the OT game-winner and ranks tied for second on the team with three goals. Maddy Humphrey, a 2015 second-team All-Big Ten selection, leads the squad with six goals this season. In goal, Liz Tamburro sports a 2.81 goals-against average with a .630 save percentage. All three of the team's losses came to ranked opponents, falling twice to Delaware and once to Wake Forest. Northwestern leads the all-time series with Ohio State 31-27-1, including 12-11 in Columbus. NU posted a 2-0 victory in Columbus last season before winning 4-0 in the Big Ten tournament.
Scouting Kent State
The Golden Flashes (4-3) started the season 4-1 before dropping their last two contests. Kent State is coming off a 2-0 loss to 19th-ranked Iowa last Sunday. Redshirt junior Alison Harmatz, a second-team All-MAC selection a year ago, paces the team with five goals. Andrea Rinehart has played the entire season in goal for Kent State and sports a 2.00 goals-against average with a .696 save percentage. Northwestern holds a 7-4 series edge, including a perfect 4-0 mark in matches played in Kent. The Wildcats won the most recent meeting 1-0 on Nov. 2, 2014 in Evanston.
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