Sept. 24, 2011
Final Stats
Site: Louisville, Ky. (Trager Field)
Score: Northwestern 5, New Hampshire 4
Records: NU (8-3, 0-1 Big Ten), UNH (8-1, 0-0 CAA)
Next NU Event: Tuesday, Sept. 27 vs. Saint Louis Evanston, Ill. 3 p.m.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- In a back-and-forth tussle between two physical opponents, No. 15 Northwestern emerged victorious over seventh-ranked New Hampshire in Louisville, Ky., edging out the Wildcats in blue by a 5-4 margin.
Regan Mooney and Maria Kovalchuk tallied two goals each en route to the biggest win for the 'Cats since defeating No. 6 Ohio State on Sept. 24, 2010. This is the second time this season that NU has beat a top-10 team (the first was No. 8 American in College Park, Md.) and the fourth time toppling a top-20 opponent.
UNH (8-1, 0-0) entered the contest as one of only two undefeated teams in the country (No. 1 Old Dominion being the other), but ended the day with its first loss -- the second time this season NU has given a top-11 opponent its first loss (No. 11 California was 5-0 before playing the Wildcats). New Hampshire also was one of the best defensive teams in the country coming into Saturday, allowing only six goals all season.
Northwestern used yet another quick start to gain a valuable edge over New Hampshire to start things off. UNH fired a shot about a minute into the game, but freshman goalkeeper Maddy Carpenter registered her first of five saves on the day. Sophomore Maria Kovalchuk recorded the first goal of the day just a few moments later, marking the seventh time in eleven games that Northwestern dented the scoreboard first this season.
With the 1-0 lead over UNH, Northwestern kept pressing, and it paid dividends as senior Claire Thompson shot a nice ball, assisted by Regan Mooney, past Katherine Nagengast to make the score 2-0 in favor of the 'Cats in purple. New Hampshire retaliated, though, with a goal of their own at the 17 minute mark when Whitney Frates had back-to-back shots. Carpenter got her pads on the first shot, but the second edged by, cutting Northwestern's lead to 2-1 midway through the first period.
After trading possessions and shots, Northwestern was granted a penalty corner at with less than 10 minutes to go. Nikki Parsley fired one towards the cage, but it fell short in the circle, blocked by UNH players. Claire Thompson got a hold of the ball and was able to get another shot off, but a nice Nagengast save allowed Maria Kovalchuk to react in a split second to launch one in the cage, putting NU up, 3-1. Scoring for the first half wasn't finished, however, and New Hampshire bounced back again, this time sneaking one by Carpenter to tighten things up, 3-2 just before halftime.
UNH came out of the gates in the second half firing on all cylinders, earning a penalty corner at the 38 minute mark. The opportunity allowed Kyle Lyons to tie the game up at three apiece after a nicely executed corner. Following the goal, Northwestern only needed 20 seconds to regain the lead as Thompson notched her second of the game -- and fourth of the season -- with shot that trickled into the left side of the cage.
Just over a minute later, Regan Mooney added to Northwestern's cause by adding a goal of her own, making the score 5-3 in the purple 'Cats' favor, and giving the senior three points on the day. New Hampshire regained its balance, though, and was able to get another shot on goal, this time deflecting off of Carpenter's pads and into the cage.
Up 5-4 with 20 minutes to go, Northwestern remained solid on defense, not allowing another shot the rest of the way. NU outlasted UNH down the stretch, handing the blue-clad 'Cats their first loss of the season.
Northwestern returns to action looking for their ninth win this season on Tuesday with a 3 p.m. matchup with the Billikens of Saint Louis at Lakeside Field. Live stats are available here.
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