MUNCIE, Ind. -- Senior Kelley Stump scored twice in the second half to help ninth-ranked Northwestern fight off a slow start and defeat host Ball State 3-1 Tuesday afternoon at Briner Sports Complex.
Coming off a pair of matches against ranked teams in Pennsylvania over the weekend, the Wildcats found themselves tied 1-1 at halftime with the winless Cardinals. However, NU battled through the adversity of playing its third game in five days and temperatures in the upper 80s to pull away.
"We are happy to come away with a win after a long road trip," Northwestern head coach Tracey Fuchs said. "We had a good second half and we hope to bring the momentum back to Evanston for our matches this weekend. We are excited to get back to our new facility."
After holding a 10-4 advantage in shots in the first half, the Wildcats dominated play in the second half as they accumulated 12 shots while holding the hosts without a single shot attempt over the final 35 minutes of play.
Just under three minutes into the second stanza, Northwestern earned a penalty corner and it paid off as Stump tallied her first goal of the season. Reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Dominique Masters was credited with an assist on the play. NU added on an insurance goal at the 43:01 mark when Stump notched her second goal of the match to give the Wildcats some breathing room.
The margin was enough for the stingy Northwestern defense and goalkeeper Lindsay von der Luft who made two saves in the match to earn her third victory of the season.
NU got off on the right foot in the contest as freshman Eva van Agt tipped in a pass from Masters off a penalty corner to give the 'Cats a 1-0 lead 8:30 into the match. Ball State would tie the score on a goal by Bianca Velez at 21:22 following a penalty corner. The teams would carry the tie score into halftime before Northwestern took charge following the intermission.
The Wildcats return to action at 1 p.m. Friday when they take on Drexel at Lakeside Field to open a three-game homestand.
Coming off a pair of matches against ranked teams in Pennsylvania over the weekend, the Wildcats found themselves tied 1-1 at halftime with the winless Cardinals. However, NU battled through the adversity of playing its third game in five days and temperatures in the upper 80s to pull away.
"We are happy to come away with a win after a long road trip," Northwestern head coach Tracey Fuchs said. "We had a good second half and we hope to bring the momentum back to Evanston for our matches this weekend. We are excited to get back to our new facility."
After holding a 10-4 advantage in shots in the first half, the Wildcats dominated play in the second half as they accumulated 12 shots while holding the hosts without a single shot attempt over the final 35 minutes of play.
Just under three minutes into the second stanza, Northwestern earned a penalty corner and it paid off as Stump tallied her first goal of the season. Reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Dominique Masters was credited with an assist on the play. NU added on an insurance goal at the 43:01 mark when Stump notched her second goal of the match to give the Wildcats some breathing room.
The margin was enough for the stingy Northwestern defense and goalkeeper Lindsay von der Luft who made two saves in the match to earn her third victory of the season.
NU got off on the right foot in the contest as freshman Eva van Agt tipped in a pass from Masters off a penalty corner to give the 'Cats a 1-0 lead 8:30 into the match. Ball State would tie the score on a goal by Bianca Velez at 21:22 following a penalty corner. The teams would carry the tie score into halftime before Northwestern took charge following the intermission.
The Wildcats return to action at 1 p.m. Friday when they take on Drexel at Lakeside Field to open a three-game homestand.