She’s back.

When graduate attacker Izzy Scane stepped onto the field for the first time in 629 days last Saturday against #5 Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 ACC), fans didn’t know what to expect. Would she be as good as before? Or did the ACL tear she suffered in 2021 impact her play?

While the ’Cats would fall to Syracuse 15-16, Scane quelled all fears as she notched five goals in the game. Fans wondered what she and the Northwestern Wildcats (2-1, 0-0 B1G) would do next against #14 Notre Dame (2-1, 0-0 ACC) to bounce back from the loss.

10 goals. One game.

The Scane Train would not be denied. She tied the Northwestern single-game record in goals that she set previously. At one point, she outscored the entire Fighting Irish team by as much as two goals, 10-8.

Scane was not alone in her efforts. Graduate goalkeeper transfer Molly Laliberty recorded 13 saves, including a diving one in the third quarter that had her pumped.

Six more Wildcats would get in on the scoring, including first-year midfielder Madison Taylor, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, who also had five goals against Syracuse. She would have two against the Irish.

The first half was a tight defensive contest that ended with a score of 6-4 Northwestern. Notre Dame’s Kasey Choma had a hat trick in each half, keeping the game close, as the Wildcats struggled to find an answer to her early. Then the Scane Train fired up.

The Northwestern offense opened up the floodgates in the second half, doubling their scoring production with 12 goals. Eight of those came from Scane, who the Irish had no clue how to stop or even slow down.

The final score made the second half look a lot closer than it actually was, as Notre Dame’s last several goals were scored against Northwestern backups. In the future, however, those backups will need to be able to close out games with a little less drama.

The Lake Show was be back in action on Sunday, February 19, at home taking on #3 Boston College (2-1, 0-0 ACC). More to come on that...

Thumbnail photo by Maren Kranking