ATHENS, Ohio -- Dominique Masters recorded her second hat trick of the season, helping No. 16 Northwestern rally back from an early two-goal deficit for a 4-2 win at Ohio on Sunday afternoon.
The victory improves the Wildcats to 12-6 overall on the season and gives them a weekend sweep in the state of Ohio after NU posted a 2-0 victory at Ohio State on Friday.
"We came out slowly and Ohio University took advantage of that," Northwestern head coach Tracey Fuchs said. "We made a few adjustments at halftime and we came out much stronger in the second half. Puck Pentenga had a strong game in the midfield and controlled the play after halftime. Dom (Masters) was able to finish off plays both on corners and in field play. It was a good all-around effort."
The host Bobcats converted on their few first-half scoring opportunities as they stunned Northwestern with a pair of goals. Despite managing just three shots over the opening 35 minutes of play, Ohio turned two of them into tallies. The hosts got on the board first at the 3:19 mark when Clarissa Leickly scored off a penalty corner. Adele Sammons and Kristen Buchanan were credited with assists on the play.
Eleven minutes later, the Bobcats turned their second shot of the match into a goal as well when Sammons got free in front of the Northwestern cage and scored from the right side for her ninth goal of the year, putting Ohio up 2-0.
Facing the two-goal deficit, the Northwestern attack finally came to life with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Ohio held off a pair of penalty corners by the Wildcats before another got NU on the board at 28:25. Masters knocked home a goal off an assist from Isabel Flens to cut the Bobcats' lead in half.
Northwestern went into halftime trailing 2-1 despite out-shooting Ohio 8-3 in the period.
The Wildcats used the intermission to regroup and they quickly took control of the matchup early in the second half. Just 2:42 into the stanza, Puck Pentenga found Masters who beat Ohio goalkeeper Lina Trucco on a breakaway to even the score. It took NU just under two minutes to then take its first lead of the game. Off a penalty corner, Pentenga connected with inserter Lisa McCarthy who tipped in her third goal of the year to put the visitors in front for good.
Northwestern would add on one more insurance goal at 49:22 as it scored its third goal of the game off a corner. Masters completed her hat trick, beating Truccco off assists from McCarthy and Charlotte Martin.
The Wildcats out-shot Ohio 12-1 in the second half and 20-4 in the match in earning their third straight victory. Over the three-game winning streak, Northwestern has recorded 74 combined shots while holding their opponents to only 7.
Northwestern returns to action at 3 p.m. Friday when it hosts Penn State on Senior Day at Lakeside Field.
The victory improves the Wildcats to 12-6 overall on the season and gives them a weekend sweep in the state of Ohio after NU posted a 2-0 victory at Ohio State on Friday.
"We came out slowly and Ohio University took advantage of that," Northwestern head coach Tracey Fuchs said. "We made a few adjustments at halftime and we came out much stronger in the second half. Puck Pentenga had a strong game in the midfield and controlled the play after halftime. Dom (Masters) was able to finish off plays both on corners and in field play. It was a good all-around effort."
The host Bobcats converted on their few first-half scoring opportunities as they stunned Northwestern with a pair of goals. Despite managing just three shots over the opening 35 minutes of play, Ohio turned two of them into tallies. The hosts got on the board first at the 3:19 mark when Clarissa Leickly scored off a penalty corner. Adele Sammons and Kristen Buchanan were credited with assists on the play.
Eleven minutes later, the Bobcats turned their second shot of the match into a goal as well when Sammons got free in front of the Northwestern cage and scored from the right side for her ninth goal of the year, putting Ohio up 2-0.
Facing the two-goal deficit, the Northwestern attack finally came to life with 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Ohio held off a pair of penalty corners by the Wildcats before another got NU on the board at 28:25. Masters knocked home a goal off an assist from Isabel Flens to cut the Bobcats' lead in half.
Northwestern went into halftime trailing 2-1 despite out-shooting Ohio 8-3 in the period.
The Wildcats used the intermission to regroup and they quickly took control of the matchup early in the second half. Just 2:42 into the stanza, Puck Pentenga found Masters who beat Ohio goalkeeper Lina Trucco on a breakaway to even the score. It took NU just under two minutes to then take its first lead of the game. Off a penalty corner, Pentenga connected with inserter Lisa McCarthy who tipped in her third goal of the year to put the visitors in front for good.
Northwestern would add on one more insurance goal at 49:22 as it scored its third goal of the game off a corner. Masters completed her hat trick, beating Truccco off assists from McCarthy and Charlotte Martin.
The Wildcats out-shot Ohio 12-1 in the second half and 20-4 in the match in earning their third straight victory. Over the three-game winning streak, Northwestern has recorded 74 combined shots while holding their opponents to only 7.
Northwestern returns to action at 3 p.m. Friday when it hosts Penn State on Senior Day at Lakeside Field.