This just in: Northwestern is very good at lacrosse.

Even without their leading goal scorer in graduate attacker Izzy Scane, the Wildcats (5-1, 0-0 B1G) cruised to two wins this past weekend. They beat Vanderbilt (1-4, 0-0 SEC) 24-7 and Youngstown State (1-5, 0-0 MAC) 24-3 on senior day.

Game 1: Vanderbilt Commodores, W 24-7

Fourth-year attacker Erin Coykendall led the charge with four goals while receiving support from nine other scoring Wildcats. Graduate midfielder Elle Hansen also notched four scores.

Graduate attacker Hailey Rhatigan saw her first action of the season starting in place of Scane, recording a hat trick. The Mercer transfer also scored her 300th career point. For reference, only four Northwestern players have ever crossed the 300-point mark in their careers.

The two second-year Samanthas – midfielders White and Smith – collected 10 of Northwestern’s 18 draw controls. Vanderbilt was only able to secure the ball after a score 11 times. On the defensive end, the Commodores could never get comfortable in Evanston, losing the ball 16 times. The Wildcats caused 11 of those turnovers with third-year midfielders Kendall Halpern and Carleigh Mahoney each forcing two.

Game 2: Youngstown State Penguins, W 24-3

Northwestern had a field day against the Penguins. Eleven Wildcats scored in this outing, led by Rhatigan who was a perfect five-for-five scoring goals. Fourth-year attacker Daniella Stroup recorded her first career goal and an additional two scored their first of the season.

The ’Cats picked up another 19 draw controls with second-year midfielder Emerson Bohlig snatching up a team-high four of them. The defense bowed up, allowing just 13 shots on goal from the Penguins. The three goalkeepers combined for 10 saves while only allowing a season-low three goals.

Northwestern recorded a season-high 24 goals in back-to-back games. They were unstoppable on offense and fierce on defense. Granted, the combined record of their two weekend opponents is 2-9, but wins are wins. However, their next few games won’t be so easy with three ranked opponents in a row on the docket.

Northwestern will continue their home stand against #4 Stony Brook (4-0, 0-0 CAA), conference opponent #19 Michigan (4-3, 0-0 B1G) and reigning champion #1 North Carolina (5-0, 0-0 ACC). It is unknown if Scane will be back in the lineup or not, but the Wildcats seem to have enough firepower to score with the best of them.

Thumbnail photo by Maren Kranking / North by Northwestern