Aug. 28, 2008

Purchase Live Webcast of Northeastern Game

EVANSTON, Ill. -- For the Wildcats, all roads lead to Boston this weekend when Northwestern field hockey begins its 34th season of competition and its fifth under head coach Kelly McCollum. NU takes on Northeastern, who is receiving votes in the STX/NFCHA Preseason Poll, on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. The next day, Northwestern shifts the scene just across the city for a 1 p.m. tilt at No. 14 Boston University.

The Wildcats are 2-2 in season openers during Coach McCollum's tenure, including a 4-2 win against Central Michigan last year.

The Boston road-swing represents a bit of a homecoming for three members of Northwestern's squad. Seniors Alexandra Quinn (Watertown, Mass./Watertown) and Jill Putnam (Greenfield, Mass./Greenfield) and junior Elizabeth Dobbs (Wellesley, Mass./St. Ignatius (San Francisco)) all have roots in the Bay State. Quinn returns as the team's leading scorer from 2007 when she racked up 17 points (6 G, 5 A).

Northwestern and Northeastern have clashed 11 times in the history of the two programs with the purple-and-white owning a 6-4-1 advantage in the series. A year ago, the Huskies visited Evanston but were sent home with a loss when Northwestern senior Amanda Care scored just 23 seconds into overtime to give the Wildcats an exciting 2-1 win. Northeastern is coming off a 2007 season in which it finished 9-12 overall and 4-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. This year, the Huskies will be relying on last year's leading scorer Ashley Bascetta, a preseason all-CAA selection.

During its 2007 campaign, Boston University featured a high-powered offense that outscored opponents 66-29 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Connecticut. Northwestern holds a perfect 4-0 record against the Terriers, but the two teams have not met since 1989.

Wildcat fans can watch live streaming video of the Northeastern game by purchasing a single-game subscription at gonu.tv or follow the play-by-play and receive live stats via GameTracker at gonu.com for the Northeastern match and goterriers.cstv.com for the BU game.

Northwestern returns to Evanston for its home opener on Friday, Sept. 5 when it hosts Miami (Ohio) at 3 p.m. CT at Lakeside Field.