Call it an oversimplification if you must, but generally speaking, a team must score more than its opponent to emerge victorious. NU women's soccer seems to have found a cheat code to thwart that opposing strategy this season, because pretty much nobody scores on them. Before Sunday's 3-0 loss to Penn State, the 'Cats had yet to allow more than one goal in any game thus far. Much of that is thanks to a breakout year from sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Clem, who ostensibly spends a lot of time saying "not in my house."
After getting off to a slow start in 2015, men's soccer came up with huge 2-1 overtime win against the No. 13 Maryland Terrapins last Friday. That's the same Maryland team that knocked off the No.1 UCLA Bruins earlier this season. Just like David in his struggle against his dental medication, the 'Cats roared unexpectedly after starting off the season rather quietly. But hopefully, the trend of No. 13-ranked teams losing ends this week (looking at you, Michigan football).
The Northwestern volleyball team boasts a solid 10-5 record halfway through its season, but the team has not allowed for a lot of optimism overall, especially recently. The Wildcats survived their not-horribly challenging non-conference schedule with an 8-3 record and began conference play with wins over Rutgers and Maryland, but followed that with losses to Minnesota and Wisconsin. The team’s inconsistency and inability to beat quality teams leaves us suspicious about the Wildcats’ chances to contend in the Big Ten, the best volleyball conference in the country.
What? No. 13? Is this really happening?! The ‘Cats have continued to surprise this year with their shocking success. Surely, NU couldn’t take down then No. 21 Stanford in a redshirt freshman QB’s first start. Of course, a tough road test at Duke would be too much for the Wildcats. Certainly, the toughness of Minnesota in the B1G opener would slow NU. But to the delight and sheer disbelief of most around Evanston, these ‘Cats just keep on rolling and defying expectations – and no one is complaining.
Men's and Women's Golf by Arielle Schwartz
The men's golf team seemingly had their heads buried in the ground at the beginning of the season, losing their first three tournaments. However, the team has been able to ascend off the ground, coming in third place out of fourteen in the past two tournaments. On the other hand, the women's team has been up and running from the start, earning a No. 12 preseason ranking and earning top two finishes in each of its first two tournaments.
GIF Credits
Women's soccer, Men's soccer, Volleyball, Football, Field hockey, Men's and women's golf