Sept. 24, 2010
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Buckeye Varsity Field)
Score: Northwestern 3, No. 6 Ohio State 2
Records: NU (8-3, 1-0 Big Ten), Ohio State (6-3, 0-1 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, Oct. 3 vs. Kent State -- Evanston, Ill.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Northwestern did not receive any favors from the Big Ten scheduling brass this year, opening the 2010 conference season on the road against the league's most highly ranked team, No. 6 Ohio State. But the 'Cats took that challenge head on and didn't blink, getting two goals from Chelsea Armstrong and 12 saves from goalie Amanda Wirth to upset the Buckeyes, 3-2, Friday in Columbus.
Sixth-ranked Ohio State represents the highest ranked opponent Northwestern has beaten since an unranked NU squad knocked off No. 4 Penn State in triple overtime on Oct. 3, 1997.
The Wildcats, winners of five in a row, built a two-goal advantage by halftime before seeing OSU come back to even the score with 15 minutes to play. But NU answered in the 59th minute with Armstrong's second score of the day to regain a lead it would not relinquish. Two of Northwestern's goals came as a direct result of penalty corners -- even though the Wildcats recorded only four chances for the game.
"Anyone who saw the game today knows that this win was a total team effort," said NU head coach Tracey Fuchs, who led the Wildcats to a win in their Big Ten opener for the first time since 2004. "The outcome came down to penalty corner execution on both offense and defense and Amanda played outstanding in the cage."
Armstrong -- the nation's leading point-scorer entering Friday's match -- came through with another huge performance, putting NU on the board first in the 25th minute when she got her stick to a loose ball in the middle of the circle and slotted it past OSU goalie Ally Tunitis.
Both teams were held scoreless until the final play of the first half, when NU earned a penalty corner that resulted in the first career goal for freshman Catherine Franklin. Franklin's classmate, Nikki Parsley, was credited with an assist as Franklin scored with the clock at Buckeye Varsity Field showing all zeroes.
Not surprisingly, Ohio State came out of the second half gates determined to get back into the game. Twenty-five minutes into the half, the Buckeyes had drawn even and regained the game's momentum.
But only minutes later, the pendulum had swung back to the Wildcats. Armstrong converted a penalty corner blast for her league-leading 13th goal of the year, helping her climb to eighth all-time at Northwestern in career goals scored.
Wirth's strong play sealed the deal down the stretch as the sophomore earned her fifth victory of the year and helped NU overcome Ohio State for the first time since 1995. Wirth and the rest of the Wildcat defense limited OSU to two goals despite 20 shots and 11 total penalty corners.
Northwestern, riding its longest winning streak since 2005, will go for its sixth in a row on Sunday, Oct. 3, when it hosts Kent State at noon.
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