For the first time since 2018, Northwestern field hockey came out of its first match winless. Even though the ‘Cats outshot No. 9 Louisville 21-3, the Cardinals snatched the road victory at Lakeside Field on Sunday afternoon with a third-quarter goal by fifth-year midfielder Emilia Kaczmarczyk.
Coming in, both schools had a history of playing each other tightly; NU beat Louisville in overtime during the second round of the 2017 postseason to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Ultimately, this top-10 tilt was another close battle, though Northwestern constantly seemed to put itself on the verge of breaking the match open.