Virginia Beach, Va. -- Bente Baekers picked up two assists in a 2-1 win over the Maryland Terrapins. The Wildcats are now 2-0, their first 2-0 start since 2011.
This marks NU's first victory over Maryland since 2017. Maryland finished last season ranked third in the national poll.
The Terps took a quick 1-0 lead with a goal 6:21 into the match. The Wildcats did not give in, dominating the second half, putting six more shots on goal than Maryland in the second stanza.
Out of the gates of the second half, the 'Cats scored in the first 38 seconds of the third period. Bente Baekers assisted Mackenzie Keegan who chipped the ball over the keeper from the right post.
The match remained tied for 10 minutes before Northwestern struck again with Baekers again assisting to, this time, sophomore Peyton Halsey who snuck the ball past the keeper from the left side. Halsey leads the team with three goals this season.
The Wildcats hunkered down on defense in the fourth, not allowing a single shot to come from the Terps for the entirety of the period. Northwestern managed to keep the pressure on, attempting four shots in the quarter to try to tack on an insurance goal.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will travel back to Virginia Beach for a Saturday matchup against the Penn State Nittany Lions at 12:15 p.m. CT.