It’s not about the start, it’s about the finish.
A first-quarter deficit was about as alien as the thunderstorms and pink skies that swept in, forcing the final 96 seconds to be played indoors.
At that point, a four-goal lead made Northwestern’s Big Ten Tournament title aspirations seem comfortably secure. And that would be the case. Despite allowing two goals in Ryan Fieldhouse, the ‘Cats held on to beat Penn State 14-12 and win both the Big Ten regular season and the Big Ten Tournament in back-to-back seasons.
But that was not how the game began.
“Penn State played unbelievably today and really pressed us hard,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “We were able to finish the job but they really gave us everything they had… We were tested, and it gives us an opportunity to look at ourselves and see how we can be better going forward.”
In the first quarter, the Nittany Lions easily got out to a 4-1 lead with their defense significantly stalling the ‘Cats. Northwestern mustered a mere three shots while turning the ball over nine times. The sole Wildcat goal came from Izzy Scane.
Coming off a one-goal win against Johns Hopkins in the semifinals, the ‘Cats have not had their usual dominant performances in the postseason. But while this start and the weather in the end was not typical, the Wildcats soon proved their reliability and settled any concerns.
NU went on a 3-0 run to open the second quarter with two goals from Scane and one from Emerson Bohlig. Penn State scored to go back on top 5-4, but that would be the last lead it had. Goals from Madison Taylor and Erin Coykendall nearing the end of the half put NU up 6-5.
The dominance from the second quarter easily carried over into the third, as NU put up six straight goals to add to its 8-0 run. Penn State scored just twice in the second and third quarters, to head into the final frame trailing 12-6.
It may have taken longer than usual to get Northwestern’s full arsenal of shooters scoring, but as has been the trend all season, these players can only be contained for so long.
Even though Erin Coykendall was limited to just one goal (in the second quarter), Madison Taylor had three, Dylan Amonte had two, and Lindsay Frank, Mary Schumar and Bohlig had one. But while the Penn State defense pushed NU to slow its pace to find offensive opportunities, it never had an answer for Scane, whose five goals tied her with Charlotte North’s career goals record of 358.
Teams have fought to defend her harder than any other player all season, but Scane excelled through that pressure. Her ability to capitalize on opportunities and not let a preconceived idea of how the attack should look ultimately propelled Northwestern to success.
“Coming into this game, it was my goal to just play with confidence and power,” Scane said. “And even if I wasn’t the one scoring the goals, at least draw attention to me. So I tried to do that and was lucky enough that the girls on my team let me get so open to scoring goals.”
While the offense did show up strongly, the defense put up a valiant effort from the start.
Jane Hansen had arguably one of the best games of her career, picking up five ground balls and causing four turnovers. Both of those marks tied season highs. In the second quarter, Bohlig’s goal was assisted by Hansen, who sparked the run with a ground ball pickup.
Although 14 goals gave Northwestern some insurance for defensive lapses, Molly Laliberty was solid in goal, making 10 saves.
It was a closer game than anticipated, especially considering that while Penn State did beat Northwestern in the regular season, that victory was in overtime and the ‘Cats were without Sammy White and Carleigh Mahoney on defense.
But the ability to pull out games and not let the weight of expectations get too heavy in the moment is a positive sign.
“Whatever we did, we did it with a purpose and with a focus,” Amonte Hiller said.
A two-goal victory may be too close for comfort. Scoring one goal in the first quarter may not cut it. But this game shows Northwestern’s confidence that it won’t dwell on mistakes and can successfully change its course with ease.
And the biggest positive of all was the adjustments. Northwestern put up eight unanswered points after barely making a shot in the first frame. Following nine turnovers in the opening quarter, NU severely cut that mark down to four, two and two across the last three quarters.
Championship teams aren’t always able to just dominate teams from the start. They require the IQ and the ability to adapt, and the Wildcats showed that they know how to do just that as they claimed their fourth Big Ten Tournament title in five seasons.