Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Crystal Poland scored in the first minutes and the waning seconds to stave off the 20th-ranked Northwestern Wildcats, 2-1, in the Sherrill Brakmeier Classic in Louisville, Ky. Senior Lizzie Priest came up big for the Huskies in the cage, recording 11 saves, two off of her career-high, in the winning effort.

It only took the Huskies a hair under two minutes to strike when Poland took control of the offense and dribbled the ball into the circle, striking one into the middle of the cage. NU kept the pressure on high as Hannah Hoelscher and Kelly Dunn were able to get shots off, keeping Maddy Carpenter on her toes.

With the early 1-0 lead, the defense took its turn in the spotlight. For the most part, Northwestern was limited on offense in the first stanza, only getting five shots off against the Huskies' defenders. But in the second half, the 'Cats threw a barrage of attacks Priest's way. The All-CAA goaltender stepped up to the challenge, though, saving seven of the 12 shots that Northwestern could muster.

After the Wildcats scored in the 65th minute to knot things at 1-1, the offense took control again. The Huskies narrowly missed giving up back-to-back goals, but Christine Tase came up with a defensive save, allowing NU to take the ball downfield for a last-minute scoring effort.

With no time remaining, the Huskies earned a penalty corner, giving the offense one more shot at remaining undefeated. With the game on the line, Poland wound up and rocketed home the winner, her third of the young season, moving Northeastern to 2-0.

The Huskies return to action next week with a trip to Hanover, N.H., to face Dartmouth at 2 p.m. on Sunday.