Julie Krupnick made 10 first half saves to stake No. 7 Northwestern to a 12-5 halftime lead, and the Wildcats went on to outscore Dartmouth 21-15 in Ryan Fieldhouse on Friday night.
Leading 5-4 in the early going, Northwestern ripped off five straight goals to take command of the game and Dartmouth, coached by former Northwestern star Danielle Spencer, never got closer than four goals the rest of the way.
Northwestern’s Lindsey McKone had a breakout game with three goals and four assists to lead the Wildcat offense and Lauren Gilbert scored four times. Krupnick finished the game with 16 saves.
Elizabeth Mastrio and Campbell Brewer each had three goals for Dartmouth, which was playing its season opener.
Northwestern (2-0) hosts Duke in a big early season showdown on Sunday. Duke beat the Wildcats 9-8 last season.
Tar Heels Fight Past High Point
No. 3 North Carolina got a battle before finally pulling away for a 13-9 victory over High Point on Friday night.
Jamie Ortega scored two of her game-high six goals during a game-closing 5-1 run, including the go-ahead goal with 16:05 left that broke an 8-8 tie and propelled UNC (2-0) to the win. Ortega added two assists for eight points and the dynamic sophomore has already tallied 11 goals in UNC’s first two games.
The game was tied 5-5 at the half before North Carolina came out on fire in the second half, scoring three goals — Elizabeth Hillman, Ortega and Katie Hoeg — in the opening four minutes of the half.
High Point didn’t go away. Abby Hormes scored goals just 25 seconds apart and Valerie Pelling tied the game with 16:23 to go before the Tar Heels closed the game strong.
Hoeg and Olivia Ferrucci each had a goal and three assists to aid the UNC offense and Taylor Moreno made nine saves to earn the victory. Hormes led High Point (1-1) with three goals.
Notable
• Cincinnati tied a school record for goals scored in a 22-18 shootout win against Marquette. Sophomore Taylor Gysin set a career-high with eight points on six goals and two assists.
• Kiley Anderson scored six goals and Gina Carroll made 11 saves as Massachusetts routed Bryant 24-4 in its season opener.
• Sophomore Jenny Kinsey scored four times as Jacksonville opened its season with a 19-9 win over UC Davis.
• Michigan is off to a 3-0 start after beating state rival Central Michigan 20-4. Nine players scored goals for the Wolverines, led by Lilly Grass and Nadine Stewart with four goals each.
• Liberty, which hosts Notre Dame on Sunday, rallied for a 10-5 road win over Winthrop to improve to 2-0 for the season. Down 5-4 early in the second half, the Flames scored the final six goals of the game. Jenna Joyal led Liberty with three goals. Alaina Girani made 17 saves for Winthrop.
• Dawson Chalifoux scored the game-winning goal with 9:06 to play, giving Fresno State a 15-14 victory over Cal in a neutral site game in Las Vegas. Ryleigh Bone led the Bulldogs with six goals, including four straight goals at one point that turned a 7-6 deficit into a 10-7 lead. Marisa Kuberra led Cal with four goals and six draw controls.
• Niagara opened the season blanking St. Bonaventure in the opening half, and went on to beat the Bonnies 17-2. Rachel MacCheyne led the Purple Eagles with five goals.
• San Diego State dominated the second half to post a 13-8 victory over Oregon. The Aztecs trailed 6-4 at the break, but scored the final five goals of the game and held the Ducks scoreless for the final 15 minutes. Harlowe Steele had three goals and two assists for San Diego State. Freshman Rachel Hall, a member of the U.S. U19 team, made 15 saves for Oregon.
Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Top 20 Scoreboard
No. 3 North Carolina 13, High Point 9
No. 7 Northwestern 21, Dartmouth 15
Other Scores
Cincinnati 22, Marquette 18
Fresno State 15, Cal 14
Jacksonville 19, UC Davis 9
Liberty 10, Winthrop 5
Massachusetts 24, Bryant 4
Michigan 20, Central Michigan 4
Niagara 17, St. Bonaventure 2
San Diego State 13. Oregon 8