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The headline of Northwestern’s shortened 2020 season was its offense.

The Wildcats owned the country’s most prolific scoring attack, averaging 21.57 goals across seven games, the highest average to close a season in program history. They were the only team in the season’s last pre-virus top 10 able to play against three other top-10 teams, and even though they dropped those three — to Notre Dame, Syracuse and North Carolina — they still managed to score a combined 44 goals in those games.

The offense was shaping up to be one of Northwestern’s most deep and dynamic in years. Yes, star then-sophomore attacker Izzy Scane was the centerpiece with her team-best 29 goals, but she was surrounded by a host of attack-minded creators. In the seven games, 20 different players scored, more than did in the entire 21-game season in 2019.

“In the past I think [our offense] has been a little more of where it’s a couple people working, and then the others are not doing as much,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “But I think in this type of system now, everyone’s really working together. Everyone is putting a lot of pressure on the other team and the defense, and it’s hard to stop.”

There’s a good chance that offense will be even harder to stop in 2021. The Wildcats will return nine of their 10 top scorers from last spring, a list that includes Scane, senior Lauren Gilbert, junior Taylor Pinzone and the midfield sister duo of Jane and Elle Hansen.

Starters Lindsey McKone and Megan Kinna also elected to return for their fifth years. The pair helped lead Northwestern to a Big Ten title and its first final four trip in five years in 2019 and combined for 32 goals and 18 assists in 2020.

“We were able to generate a lot of offensive opportunities, and we’re looking to continue to build on that this year,” Amonte Hiller said. “Adding some new players into it, those players have seen us play, and more than ever they’re really jumping in and gaining a lot of confidence right off the bat.”

Two of those new additions are likely to make an immediate impact: midfielder Sammy Mueller, a transfer from Virginia fresh off an All-American career for the Cavaliers, and freshman attacker Leah Holmes, who was the fourth-leading scorer on Amonte Hiller’s gold medal-winning U.S. U19 team two summers ago.

Mueller and Holmes are similar players both in style and in background — they’re five years apart, but are both products of the Hackley School in Larchmont, N.Y. As Northwestern returned to campus in the fall for three months of practice and inter-team scrimmages, Amonte Hiller said they both transitioned seamlessly into the Wildcats’ offensive system.

There’s still uncertainty about what sort of schedule the Wildcats will play in 2021, but when it comes, they’re ready to make a challenge.

“We’re ready at any moment,” Amonte Hiller said. “Our focus is on ourselves and making sure that we’re ready when the moment comes, and that we’re taking advantage of every opportunity to get better.”

TOP RETURNERS

Izzy Scane, A, Jr.

Scane has been a star since she arrived in Evanston in 2019 and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors for her 62-goal, 80-point campaign. She was on pace for another stellar year in 2020, scoring a team-high 29 goals — including eight in one game against North Carolina —  and is set to pick up right where she left off in 2021.

Lauren Gilbert, A, Sr.

Gilbert was one of four Wildcats to earn invites to try out for the U.S. national team before the December event was postponed. Her resume from three years at Northwestern shows why. She assumed a larger role on the Wildcats’ attack in 2020, scoring 25 goals and dishing out nine assists. Northwestern will be happy to return her leadership and attacking prowess.

Brennan Dwyer, A, Sr.

Dwyer is quietly on track to becoming one of the top draw specialists in Northwestern history. She has already shattered two major program records: most draw controls in a single game (21, set in February 2020 against Arizona State) and most in a single season (181, set in 2019). Under the tutelage of Northwestern’s all-time draws leader, assistant coach Shelby Fredericks, Dwyer will be a force in the circle again for the Wildcats.

KEY ADDITION

Sammy Mueller, M, Gr.

Mueller, the younger sister of former Northwestern defender Ally Mueller, had a standout four-year career at Virginia, earning first-team All-American honors and tallying 165 goals, 171 ground balls and 204 draw controls in Charlottesville. The Pelham, N.Y. native is a dynamic player, and Amonte Hiller is excited about what she’ll bring both offensively and defensively to the Northwestern midfield.

ENEMY LINES

“They’re always strong, they’re always tough, they’re always well-coached and fast-paced. They return a really tough offense led by Izzy Scane, and those players are just hard to defend. No doubt they’ll be one of the top contenders in the Big Ten.”

“They’re going to be really dangerous this year. Last year they were on track to make a real run for a championship, and they’re going to be very dangerous with who they’re returning and the fifth-years they’re bringing back. They’re going to be one of the teams to beat for sure.”

NUMBERS GAME

15.1

Goals allowed per game by the Wildcats in 2020. As the only team to average more than 20 goals per game on the offensive end, Northwestern let in its fair share too, the second-most among major conference teams. Amonte Hiller said that creating a balance on both sides of the ball and practicing defensive fundamentals was a point of emphasis for the program in the fall.