EVANSTON, Ill. – After recording back-to-back hat tricks this past weekend, redshirt first-year Bente Baekers took home a pair of weekly awards from the Big Ten on Monday as she was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week.
Baekers notched her first-career hat trick on Friday afternoon against No. 12 Ohio State as Northwestern opened up Big Ten play with a 4-1 victory. On Sunday, she followed that performance up with another hat trick as the Wildcats cruised past Miami (OH), 5-2, to improve to 8-2 on the season. Baekers is the first Wildcat since Candice Cooper in 2004 to score three or more goals in consecutive games.
The Dutch native from Rijswijk, The Netherlands now has 14 goals on the season, tied for the most in the nation with Stanford's Corinne Zanolli. She has scored in all eight of the 'Cats' wins this season. Her 14 goals this year is already the most by an NU rookie since 2009, when Chelsea Armstrong scored 22 goals. She also leads the conference and ranks second in the nation with 29 points on the season.
This marks the second-straight week (and third time overall) that Baekers has taken home Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors as well as the second-consecutive week a Wildcat has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, as Lakin Barry was awarded the honors last Monday. Northwestern has won Big Ten Freshman of the Week in all four weeks the award has been handed out this season.
The Wildcats are currently riding a six-game winning streak, tied for their longest since 2017. The 'Cats will be back in action this weekend for a pair of Big Ten games at Lakeside Field, hosting Michigan State on Friday, September 27 at 3 p.m. CT followed by a showdown with Michigan on Sunday, September 29 at noon. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.
Baekers notched her first-career hat trick on Friday afternoon against No. 12 Ohio State as Northwestern opened up Big Ten play with a 4-1 victory. On Sunday, she followed that performance up with another hat trick as the Wildcats cruised past Miami (OH), 5-2, to improve to 8-2 on the season. Baekers is the first Wildcat since Candice Cooper in 2004 to score three or more goals in consecutive games.
The Dutch native from Rijswijk, The Netherlands now has 14 goals on the season, tied for the most in the nation with Stanford's Corinne Zanolli. She has scored in all eight of the 'Cats' wins this season. Her 14 goals this year is already the most by an NU rookie since 2009, when Chelsea Armstrong scored 22 goals. She also leads the conference and ranks second in the nation with 29 points on the season.
This marks the second-straight week (and third time overall) that Baekers has taken home Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors as well as the second-consecutive week a Wildcat has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, as Lakin Barry was awarded the honors last Monday. Northwestern has won Big Ten Freshman of the Week in all four weeks the award has been handed out this season.
The Wildcats are currently riding a six-game winning streak, tied for their longest since 2017. The 'Cats will be back in action this weekend for a pair of Big Ten games at Lakeside Field, hosting Michigan State on Friday, September 27 at 3 p.m. CT followed by a showdown with Michigan on Sunday, September 29 at noon. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.