Freedman, ‘Cats Fight Late to Down Leopards, 1-0

EVANSTON, Ill. - Behind a late goal from Northwestern field hockey’s Jessica Freedman, the No. 1 Wildcats claimed a 1-0 victory over Lafayette on Sunday morning. While NU (2-0, 0-0 B1G) dominated offensive possession, the Leopards’ defense kept the game scoreless until the 56th minute at Lakeside Field.

In the teams’ first-ever meeting, the ‘Cats ran the show in creating opportunities for their offense, with 13 penalty corners, 20 shots and 11 shots on goal.

Lafayette (1-1, 0-0 Patriot) rose to the occasion for the majority of the game, its defense headlined by junior goalkeeper Addison Kahn in the cage. The ‘Cats’ pressure was well-handled by Kahn, who posted nine saves on 11 shots on goal. Lafayette’s Ines Araujo tacked on a defensive save to keep it a one-score game.

Senior back Ilse Tromp and Freedman led the ‘Cats' offensive attempts with four shots, while the midfielder took three on goal and one to the back of the cage.

Senior forward Piper Borz took three shots of her own in the Sunday showdown and helped to put the ‘Cats in scoring position, drawing several corners.

The pair worked together late in the fourth quarter to get NU on the board, as senior Ella Kokinis passed to Borz in the circle, who delivered a no-look pass to Freedman for a far post chip-in.

The Leopards only got two shots off through full-time, neither being on-goal. Senior Lena Thedrian took one of the attempts and handled most of Lafayette’s offensive runs and steals. The Leopards were held to only one penalty corner and fell to 1-1 in their early season.

The Wildcats are back in action on Friday, Sept. 4, meeting No. 6 Duke at 2 p.m. CT in Boston to open their B1G/ACC Challenge weekend. Then, NU will take on Boston College on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m. CT on the ACC Network.