MENOMONIE, Wis. – Trailing 6-1 late in the first quarter on the frozen tundra of the University of Wisconsin Stout's Nelson Field, it would have been easy for the University of Northwestern Women's Lacrosse team to roll over and fold. What it actually did was whatever the opposite of that is. Northwestern scored 12 of the last 13 goals in the game to earn a gritty, 13-7 win in the cold winds of Menomonie.
The Eagles actually struck first, as
Abby Scheel (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) found
Cara Smith (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) for a goal just 52 seconds into the match. UW-Stout answered with the next six goals to grab a commanding, 6-1 lead with 2:05 remaining in the opening quarter.
Lauren Paar (Centerville, Minn./Centennial) gave UNW some momentum heading into the second period after scoring a goal with 15 seconds left on the clock.
Emma Snyder (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) opened the second quarter with a goal to trim the deficit to three, then Paar cashed in two more times to pull the Eagles within one with 6:32 left in the half and give herself a hat trick. Stout responded with a goal three minutes later to push its lead back to two at 7-5, but Smith found the back of the cage off an assist from
Ainsley Thompson (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) to get Northwestern back within a score entering the second half.
As competitive as the first half was, the second was a masterclass by UNW.
Emma Ruegemer (Cold Spring, Minn./Eden Valley-Watkins) dominated the third quarter, first tying the game at seven just 1:41 into the third quarter, then tacking on two more goals with 5:43 and 5:06 left (both assisted by Scheel) to give Northwestern the lead and herself a hat trick. Scheel tacked on assist number four of the evening when
Lily Crosby (Cavalier, N.D./Cavalier Public School) scored the third quarter's final goal, and UNW led 10-7 entering the final stanza.
Maddie Hauer (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) pushed the lead to 11-7 with her team-leading (along with Ruegemer) 13
th goal of 2024 off an assist from Thompson, then Smith capped off the night with two more scores, the first of which was assisted by Scheel, bringing her total to four for the evening. After trailing 6-1, the Eagles had rallied all the way back to a fairly comfortable, 13-7 win on the road.
Perhaps the most shocking stat of the night was the difference in shot totals from the first period onward. Northwestern, despite trailing 6-2 after the opening 15 minutes, out-shot UW-Stout 8-7 in the quarter. The Eagles won the shots battle 32-8 the rest of the way and only allowed one shot each in the second and third quarters.
Individually, Smith led a dominant effort on both ends. The senior scored four goals, collected seven ground balls, caused four turnovers and won six draw controls. Paar and Ruegemer each scored thrice, with the latter adding four ground balls and the former three draw controls. Crosby finished with one goal, five ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Snyder and Hauer each tallied one goal and three ground balls apiece. Scheel dished out five assists, in addition to causing two turnovers. Thompson dropped two dimes and snagged three ground balls.
Reegan Duininck (Prinsburg, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) was a stalwart defensively, collecting eight ground balls and causing four turnovers.
Maren Reu (Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) added three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers.
Chloe Solorzano (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park) also caused two turnovers, while
Daisy Koffler (Pine City, Minn./Pine City) made three saves in cage to get the win.
The win brought Northwestern's record to 3-4 on the season. The Eagles will take to the road once more on Saturday, March 23
rd for a date with Augustana College. The draw is slated for noon in Rock Island, Illinois.
