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Northwestern faces Maryland in the Big Ten Championship after a tense semifinal. The Wildcats aim to secure victory with key strategies against the Terrapins, who seek revenge.
After two drama-filled semifinals in Ann Arbor, weâve got ourselves a Big Ten Championship matchup between the top two seeds in the conference tournament: Northwestern and Maryland.
Though Michigan is a talented team, Northwesternâs victory over the Wolverines on Friday did not go as smoothly as some had hoped. There are plenty of things to think about for NUâs game on Sunday against the Terrapins, especially considering the fact that Maryland is seeking revenge after falling to the Wildcats earlier this month.
Here are Northwesternâs three keys to winning the Big Ten Championship.
1. Shooting from range
One of Northwesternâs fatal flaws in the first half of the semifinal was its inability to break through against Michiganâs defense. The problem was twofold: Not only was the Wolverinesâ zone defense running like a well-oiled machine, keeping the Wildcats from pushing into the fan, but its positioning also posed a psychological barrier, making the Wildcats seem afraid to take shots from long range.
This problem has existed for a while. Northwestern is really, really good at creating offensive opportunities with its attacking unit, but that typically only comes by way of brute force â using body feints to dodge defenders and fire off shots, or finding a quick open pass to shoot from short range.
Michigan saw this weakness and took full advantage of it. By the end of the first quarter, Northwestern had marked just one shot on goal compared to Michiganâs three. Though the Wildcats improved that figure throughout the rest of the game, thereâs no guarantee that Maryland wonât want to adopt similar pressing tactics, especially as its goalkeeper JJ Suriano holds the seventh-best saves per game figure in the entire NCAA.
If the âCats want to make their lives easier on Sunday, they need to shoot from farther out.
2. Winning the draw
It seems simple, but the draw plays such a crucial role in Northwesternâs game that itâs almost an implicit key to victory.
After a slow start to Fridayâs game , four of the âCatsâ 10 goals against Michigan came from winning the draw. As mentioned earlier, Northwestern does best when players can make runs into the fan rather than stand passively outside it.
Nationally, the Wildcats rank sixth in draw controls per game and eighth in draw control percentage. They have an incredibly diverse circle unit, including Madison Smith, Maddie Epke, Madison Taylor, and sometimes even Kate Ratanaproeksa, which is something Kelly Amonte Hiller mentioned early in the season as critical to the teamâs future success. Clearly, the âCats put a lot of weight on the draw, and itâs clear to see why itâs a necessary point of emphasis against Maryland.
Northwestern's key strategies include effective shooting from range, strong defense, and maintaining possession.
Maryland is seeking revenge after losing to Northwestern earlier this month in a previous matchup.
The Big Ten Championship game between Northwestern and Maryland is scheduled for Sunday.
Northwestern won the semifinal match against Michigan, but the victory was not as smooth as anticipated.
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3. Â Preparing for external factors
I would be remiss if I didnât mention Northwesternâs incident against Maryland in its April 9 matchup. In the fourth quarter of the game, Madison Smith was running next to Lauren LaPointe at midfield when she suddenly knocked LaPointe to the ground. Neither player had the ball; LaPointe had to leave the game, and Smith received no penalty.
At that point, Northwestern was down 9-8. It had staged small-scale comebacks over the course of the game, but LaPointeâs foul was the precursor to a four-goal run in the final four minutes and an eventual 11-10 win over the Terps. Though the no-call was questionable, the foul changed the gameâs momentum.
Both Northwestern and Maryland will try to block out external noise from social media, but I think itâs fair to say that Maryland has a chip on its shoulder coming into this Big Ten Tournament Final. Northwestern must be ready for a hungry Terrapin team.
Overall, the Wildcats must maintain their composure. The game has the potential to induce a variety of emotions, but the âCats must keep their heads down and work past every obstacle thrown at them. some nerves, but they need to keep their heads down and work past every obstacle that may come their way.