After a week back home at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium on the lakeshore, the 'Cats will continue their non-conference play with two games against in-state foes this week. At 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 12, NU will head in Macomb, Ill., to square off against Western Illinois. The 'Cats will close out the week at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15 with a matinee game against Eastern Illinois back in Evanston.
 
Northwestern played host to the Lakeside Classic last week, coming up short in their games but continued to make early season strides. In the Sunday match against Bowling Green, the 'Cats outshot the Falcons 9-8, attained more possession (51 percent) and earned nine corner kicks to BGU's four.  Senior forward Ty Seager continued to create offensive chances for head coach Tim Lenahan's side, recording two shots on goal and registering a shot for the third consecutive match.

It was another successful weekend for head coach Shane Davis and the Wildcats. As hosts to the NU Under Armour Challenge, the 'Cats were victorious in two of three matches with wins against Austin Peay State and Texas Tech. It has been another very promising start for Northwestern in 2019, as they've gone 5-1 in their first six games for the third consecutive season. Temi Thomas-Ailara continued to be a standout for the 'Cats as a true first-year, earning all-tournament team honors for the second time in as many weeks. The Glenwood, Ill., native leads the team with seven aces, six of which came off her performance against Texas Tech. 
 
With two non-conference tournaments remaining, the 'Cats will travel to Durham, N.C. for the Blue Devil classic this weekend. It will be an early rise for NU on Friday, Sept. 13 with a Big Ten-SEC showdown against the Georgia Bulldogs at 9 a.m. followed by a match against tournament hosts Duke at 6 p.m. Northwestern will close out the tournament with another early match against American University at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14.
 

NU has a few days off before its next tilt against UMass Lowell on Friday, Sept. 13 at noon back at Lakeside Field in Evanston. However, it's a quick turnaround for the 'Cats as they'll square off against another ACC opponent in Wake Forest at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15 on the road in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The Wildcats continued to compete against some of the most respected programs in the country as part of their non-conference schedule last week, including a victory over No. 13 Boston College on Sunday. Northwestern is 3-2 to start the season with two of those victories coming against top-25 programs. In the marquee win of the season thus far for NU, head coach Tracey Fuchs' side showed resilience in coming back against the Eagles in the fourth quarter. Trailing by a goal with under seven minutes to play, first-year Peyton Halsey and senior Lily Katzman scored giving the 'Cats a 3-2 lead and eventual victory. Katzman was all over the field against BC, adding an assist early on in the game that led to redshirt first-year Bente Baekers scoring her fourth goal of the season. The Dutch native is off to a sizzling start, earning at least a point in four of five matches played. 
 

Northwestern earned a third-place finish two weeks ago at the Illini Open and after a week off will travel to Normal, Ill., for a 5 p.m. start on Friday, Sept. 13 at the Illinois State Invite.
 
Down in Champaign, Ill., three Wildcats finished within the top-25 on the 5K course. Among the notable finishers were senior Kelly O'Brien and sophomore Rachel McCardell. O'Brien's 17:33.8 score propelled her to sixth place while McCardell's 17:34.5 mark put her right behind her teammate at seventh. The strong finishes filled new head coach Jill Miller with plenty of confidence heading into the core stretch of the Wildcats' outdoor season.
 
"Today's meet gave several of our athletes an indicator of their starting point for the 2019 season. While many have yet to open up their competitive season, we challenge each of them to continue to learn and improve day in and day out. We look forward to seeing their progress over the next eight weeks," said Miller.

Sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood had two key performances for the 'Cats during their road trip last week. In the victory against Cincinnati on Thursday, the Granger, Ind., native earned her ninth career shutout. While she only has played 25 games as a Wildcat, Wood amazingly is one clean sheet away from being fifth on the NU all-time shutouts list. Her outstanding play between the pipes led to 10 saves against Harvard on Sunday, keeping Northwestern in striking distance of the Crimson.
 
The Wildcats have one non-conference match remaining, with a Friday night tilt against the 11th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks at 7 p.m. back in Evanston. Sophomore forward Nia Harris will look to carry over her momentum from the road trip after notching a goal against Cincinnati and becoming the active program leader in points and goals with eight and four, respectively.