EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 1 Northwestern cruised to its fifth straight win to start the season, beating No. 11 Liberty 3-0 in a rematch of the 2021 national championship game Friday. It marks the third 5-0 start in program history and the first since 1989.
Dating back to last November, Northwestern has won nine games in a row, the program's longest win streak since winning 12 in a row in 1990. All nine wins have come against ranked opponents.
Kayla Blas opened the scoring in the second quarter with her first goal of the season, finding the back of the net in the 22nd minute. It was the midfielder's third career goal and first since scoring against Rutgers last September. Blas, a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, leads the team with five assists this season.
Bente Baekers broke the game open late in the third with two goals in 40 seconds, her ninth and 10th goals of the season. She has scored in all five games to start the season, the first Wildcat to do so since Chelsea Armstrong in 2009. Baekers is also the first Wildcat to have scored 10 goals through the first five games of a season since at least 2009.
Baekers came into the weekend with the nation lead in goals, goals per game, points and points per game.
Northwestern out shot Liberty 20-8 and has now out shot its opponents 116-35 this season. The Wildcats are averaging 23.2 shots per game.
The Wildcats also used the night to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, dubbing it Pride Game. Northwestern took pregame warmups in pride-themed warmups.
Chicago's Big Ten Team stays home this weekend with its first top-10 match of the season, taking on No. 9 Virginia Sunday at 11 a.m. CT at Lakeside Field. Tickets are free for the contest, and all home field hockey games this season, and it will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
Dating back to last November, Northwestern has won nine games in a row, the program's longest win streak since winning 12 in a row in 1990. All nine wins have come against ranked opponents.
Kayla Blas opened the scoring in the second quarter with her first goal of the season, finding the back of the net in the 22nd minute. It was the midfielder's third career goal and first since scoring against Rutgers last September. Blas, a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, leads the team with five assists this season.
Bente Baekers broke the game open late in the third with two goals in 40 seconds, her ninth and 10th goals of the season. She has scored in all five games to start the season, the first Wildcat to do so since Chelsea Armstrong in 2009. Baekers is also the first Wildcat to have scored 10 goals through the first five games of a season since at least 2009.
Baekers came into the weekend with the nation lead in goals, goals per game, points and points per game.
Northwestern out shot Liberty 20-8 and has now out shot its opponents 116-35 this season. The Wildcats are averaging 23.2 shots per game.
The Wildcats also used the night to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, dubbing it Pride Game. Northwestern took pregame warmups in pride-themed warmups.
Chicago's Big Ten Team stays home this weekend with its first top-10 match of the season, taking on No. 9 Virginia Sunday at 11 a.m. CT at Lakeside Field. Tickets are free for the contest, and all home field hockey games this season, and it will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.