No. 10 Northwestern Set to Take On Two Hoosier State Foes

10/5/2017 11:42:00 AM | Field Hockey

By: Nick Brilowski

NORTHWESTERN FIELD HOCKEY: GAME DAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Friday, Oct. 6	Indiana	3 p.m.	Lakeside Field; Evanston, Ill.	BTN Plus on BTN2Go	SIDEARM
Sunday, Oct. 8	Ball State	11 a.m. CT	BSU Turf Field; Muncie, Ind.	N/A	BallStateSports.com
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 10 Northwestern looks to remain in contention for a Big Ten title as it hosts Indiana at 3 p.m. Friday before stepping outside conference play for a matchup at Ball State at 11 a.m. Central time Sunday.

The Wildcats (8-4, 3-1 B1G) have won six of their last seven contests and enter play this weekend one game behind Michigan for first place in the conference standings.

Northwestern has played its last four matches against ranked foes, including notching a 3-2 victory over then-No. 19 Rutgers at home last Friday. Puck Pentenga, Saar de Breij and Elena Curley each tallied a goal for the 'Cats in the win.

NU has played the nation's third-toughest schedule to date resulting in the Wildcats coming in at No. 5 in this week's RPI. Northwestern has played eight of its first 12 matches against ranked opponents and sports a 4-4 record in those contests. Three of the four losses have been by one goal.

Pentenga continues to pace the Wildcats' attack as she leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally with 10 assists. She also has contributed four goals, giving her a team-best 18 points. Kirsten Mansfield and Pascale Massey each have a team-leading five goals to their credit.

Scouting Indiana
The Hoosiers (4-9, 0-3 B1G) are still seeking their first Big Ten win. Indiana has dropped its last four matches, most recently falling 3-2 at Saint Louis on Sunday. Each of the teams last three losses have been by one goal. Maddie Latino has been a bright spot for Indiana as she ranks third in the conference with eight goals, including a league-best four game-winners. In goal, Katie Johnson has a 3.26 goals-against average with a .671 save percentage.

Scouting Ball State
The Cardinals bring a 4-6 record into Friday's home match against Kent State. Ball State has dropped three in a row, including a pair against Big Ten teams (Indiana, 2-1; Michigan, 5-0). Michelle Shampton, Sierra Jefferson and Abbey Main each have three goals to lead the team. Grace Chavez sports a 1.63 goals-against average and a .742 save percentage in goal.