No. 3 Northwestern area hockey blanks UMaine
ORONO, Maine — Northwestern College’s Wildcats confirmed why they’ve performed within the final two NCAA Division I championship video games throughout their matchup with the College of Maine on Friday afternoon.
The No. 3-ranked Wildcats and 2021 nationwide champs turned in a powerful efficiency towards the hardworking Black Bears on the UMaine area hockey complicated, incomes a 3-0 victory for head coach Tracey Fuchs’ 2 hundredth profession win.
Northwestern freshman fullback Ilse Tromp scored her first profession purpose on the 25:26 mark of the second quarter, and junior midfielder Lane Herbert expanded the lead on the 39:24 mark of the third interval.
Dynamic freshman ahead Olivia Bent-Cole exhibited why she is a member of the U.S. nationwide area hockey staff at such a younger age with an excellent purpose with 1:59 remaining within the sport. She stickhandled neatly round 4 Black Bears earlier than firing the ball previous UMaine fifth-year goalie Mallory Drayer for her second purpose of the season.
Drayer completed with a career-high 15 saves in an distinctive efficiency.
Northwestern, now 4-1, had 26 shot makes an attempt to UMaine’s 5 and had an 11-4 edge in penalty corners.
Northwestern will play No. 20 UMass at 1 p.m. Saturday at UMaine, and the 2-3 Black Bears will entertain UMass at 1 p.m Sunday.
Senior Annabel Skubisz made two saves for Northwestern, together with a pleasant one along with her stick late within the sport off a Mallory Mackesy shot following a penalty nook. Northwestern was main 2-0 on the time. UMaine had a collection of penalty corners with just below 4 minutes remaining, and Poppy Lambert had a superb try solely to have it sail extensive to the precise of Skubisz.
Northwestern managed the play after the primary minute of the sport when UMaine had an excellent alternative to open the scoring.
Pittsfield fifth-year midfielder Madisyn Hartley, one among UMaine finest’s gamers on the nice and cozy afternoon, labored a pleasant give and go along with Tereza Holubcova, and Holubcova slid the ball throughout the goalmouth to Zoe Furber.
However Furber wasn’t in a position to get her stick circled to faucet the ball into the empty web.
Northwestern always utilized strain, and it paid off.
Tromp fed Lindsey Frank within the circle, and Frank received off a shot that was saved by Drayer. However the rebound got here to Tromp, and he or she sailed her shot into the far nook from the precise aspect of the circle.
“I’m not usually within the circle, however I received the ball and shot it on purpose,” stated Tromp, who’s from The Netherlands.
Herbert scored her first of the season and fifth of her profession off a penalty nook taken by Katie Jones.
Bent-Cole corralled the ball of the insertion by Jones and set it up for Herbert, whose highly effective low shot sailed by Drayer and deflected into the cage of UMaine again Lambert’s stick.
The Black Bears defended valiantly all through the sport and had a handful of rushes solely to have Northwestern’s rock-solid protection break the performs up. UMaine was responsible of overhandling the ball at occasions, and Wildcats gave their opponents little or no time and house with the ball.
“It’s all about protection. Protection wins championships,” stated Northwestern graduate pupil ahead and captain Peyton Halsey. “It begins within the again. The objectives will come.”
Halsey known as UMaine a “good staff. They have been gritty.”
“We performed a gutsy defensive sport,” stated UMaine head coach Josette Babineau. “And I used to be pleased with our goalie. She confronted quite a lot of pictures and had quite a lot of confidence in herself.”
Senior Lambert agreed, saying she thought the staff performed a “actually good sport” and Drayer that was “superb.”
“We labored so much this week on defensive positioning and the way we’re going to enter tackles and simply working collectively as a again unit,” she added. “We did rather well on that and we have been actually composed on the ball, which is a pleasant swap for us.”
Draper stated her efficiency was made potential by her backs.
“All kudos go to my backs. They’re tremendous useful. They saved me calm and composed,” stated Drayer.
Fuchs stated she was happy to get her 2 hundredth win and that her again line is “one among our staples.”
