This was nearly a perfect weekend for 'Cats sports fans. While the football team was upsetting No. 17 Wisconsin, our other sports were dominating as well. Here are the grades for each of their performances:
Men’s Soccer
Only 66 seconds into overtime, junior Cole Missimo scoring the goal that lead the ‘Cats to a 3-2 victory over Maryland, notching their first Big Ten win of the season. Missimo also had two assists, helping set up goals for Joey Calistri and Henry Herrill in the first 12 minutes of the game. Goalie Tyler Miller only allowed one goal through the run of play, despite six shots on target.
Grade: Exciting, three goal game OT for your first Big Ten win? Men’s soccer gets an A
Women’s Soccer
Coming off of five straight losses, the women’s soccer team pulled off a 2-0 shutout of No. 19 Illinois at Lakeside Field. Sophomore Addie Steiner notched both goals, one in the third minute and another in the 86th minute. Midfielder Niki Sebo tallied the only Wildcat assist of the match, and goalie Lauren Clem saved all six of Illinois’ shots on target.
Grade: Upsets are amazing, and so is no longer being last in the Big Ten. Women’s soccer gets an A
Cross Country Northwestern scored 330 points (a slower finish awards more points scored) and placed 12th out of 20 teams at the Notre Dame Invite this past Friday. Sophomore Jenna Pianin placed 20th overall in the 5k race after dropping 90 seconds from her career best time. Andrea Ostenso was followed close behind at 27th place, and runners Elena Barham and Isabel Seidel both placed in the top 100.
Grade: Despite some strong individual performances, the ‘Cats finished in the bottom 50% of teams. Cross country gets a C+
Fencing
The women’s fencing team opened their season with a ridiculous show of strength at this weekend’s USFA Burton Open, winning two golds in the process. Eleven team members placed in the top ten of their events, including six Wildcats placing in the top ten of the women’s foil. In women’s epee, three ‘Cats placed in the top four, and two fencers placed in the top five of the women’s saber. The two Northwestern golds were won by Cindy Oh for women’s saber and Stephanie Chan for women’s foil.
Grade: Complete domination of the tournament means Fencing gets an A
Field Hockey
The No. 11 ranked Wildcats have knocked off four ranked teams in a row after a 3-1 win over No. 7 Iowa in Iowa City this past Sunday. Dominique Masters, Carolin Troncelliti and Lisa McCarthy – three of NU’s top four scorers – each netted a goal during the match. The ‘Cats went into the game tied with Iowa for first place in the Big Ten and left as the only team undefeated in Big Ten play.
Grade: Best in the Big Ten means Field Hockey gets an A
Volleyball
The ‘Cats won three tight sets – 26-24, 29-27 and 25-20 – to upset No. 18 Minnesota in a thriller in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Team leading scorer Symone Abott had 21 kills during the win, and Taylor Tashima finished with 49 assists. Despite doubling the Golden Gopher’s errors, Northwestern was still able to win in only three sets. Northwestern is now tied with six other teams for second in Big Ten.
Grade: With this win, it’s likely NU will crack the Top 25 in this week's rankings. Volleyball gets an A