Northwestern
#2 Michigan
No. 5 'Cats Prepare for Competitive Big Ten Tournament
11/3/2021 8:02:00 AM | Field Hockey
EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 5 Northwestern will head into a stacked Big Ten Championship with six of the top seven teams in the nation this weekend on a five game win streak, including a 2-1 victory over No. 1 Iowa last Friday.
"The Big Ten is having a fabulous year." Head Coach Tracey Fuchs told David Resvine of B1G Today. "We've always been one of the top two conferences in the country and now to have six out of seven in the top seven in RPI is great for the sport and the conference."
Northwestern has been battle-tested throughout the season by such a strong conference and Fuchs believes the team has improved drastically as a result.
"It [growth] started early when we were missing some players who were representing the USA team, other players stepped up and really we haven't looked back," She said.
One of those battles was against No. 2 Michigan, who Northwestern is set to face in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines managed to pull out a 2-1 win in double-overtime, despite an offensive barrage from the Wildcats and a late fourth quarter goal by Clara Roth. Since then, the Wildcats have closed the season on a five-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the conference.
However, that loss was the last one the 'Cats have seen this season. In three of their last five games Northwestern has put away six goals, showcasing their offensive improvement and their speed.
"We're fast everywhere but those young ladies have the speed and the skill to back it up," said Fuchs. "With Maddie Zimmer, Alia Marshall and Katie Jones we have the ability to counterattack really, really quickly."
However, the Wildcat offense can't take all the glory for their success going into the postseason. Annabel Skubisz was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for her performances against the Hawkeyes and the Hoosiers, which culminated in seven saves.
With their win against No. 1 Iowa off two successful penalty corners and a 6-0 rout of Indiana, the Wildcats will go into their first match of the Big Ten Tournament with a lot of momentum and a strategy.
"When you play Michigan it's going to be a one goal game" Fuchs said. "Typically it comes down to corner execution attack-wise and defense-wise. So we've been building our corner attack and we'll be ready to go Thursday. It'll be a great Big Ten battle"
Northwestern will face Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten Championship on Thursday at 10 a.m. on B1G+.
