EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 1 Northwestern cruised to its 13th win in a row Monday afternoon with a 15-4 win over No. 18 Rutgers at a warm, then very chilly Lakeside Field in Evanston.

Kristen Kjellman, Hilary Bowen and Hannah Nielsen each scored three goals for the Wildcats (13-1) who can win the ALC outright with a win over Ohio State on Friday. Rutgers falls to 12-4.

In the second half, the temperature literally dropped 15-20 degrees in a matter of seconds, but the Wildcats stayed hot as they picked up their 28th-straight win at home.

The Wildcats got off to bit of a slow start. But with the scored tied at 1-1 four minutes into the game, Northwestern's attacked kicked it into overdrive, scoring 11 consecutive goals extending into the second half.

Bowen and Nielsen each scored their three goals over the decisive run which was capped off by two-straight from Josephs to make it 12-1.

Rutgers did not score its second goal until the 23:22 mark of the second half on a goal by Nina Frankoski.

Northwestern owned the time of possession once again, outshooting the Scarlet Knights 33-20, including 19-8 in the first half.

Morgan Lathrop made seven saves in goal, two of which came in span of :03 seconds as she denied two-straight shots by Rutgers from point-blank range in the second half. Abby Bangser played the final 13 minutes, making two saves.

Also notching goals for the Wildcats were Katrina Dowd (2), Meredith Frank and Kristin McCandlish. Bowen also added two assists for a game-high five points.

Junior defender Christy Finch, Northwestern's unsung hero this season on the backline, caused six turnovers and picked up nine ground balls.

The Wildcats' game with ALC-foe Ohio State begins at 4 p.m. CT this Friday at the Lakeside Field in Evanston.

Other Notes: Rutgers was the 11th ranked opponent the Wildcats have faced this season—they are 10-1 in those games … NU has now won 13 in a row and 28-straight home games dating to 2004 … The Wildcats are 54-2 since the start of the 2005 season.

Score by Period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Rutgers.............  1  3 -  4
Northwestern........ 10  5 - 15
 
Attendance: 111
 
Rutgers SCORING:
GOALS: FRANKOSKI, Nina 2; TORNETTA, Mallory 1; POOLE, Michelle
1.
ASSISTS: CANTWELL, Brooke 1; CRYAN, MARY 1; FRANKOSKI, Nina 1.
 
Northwestern SCORING:
GOALS: Bowen, Hilary 3; Nielsen, Hannah 3; Kjellman; Kristen 3;
       Josephs, Aly 2; Dowd, Katrina 2; Frank, Meredith 1;
       McCandlish; Kristin 1.
ASSISTS: Bowen, Hilary 2; Frank, Meredith 1; Josephs, Aly 1;
         Nielsen, Hannah 1.
 
SHOTS BY PERIOD       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Rutgers.............  8 12 - 20
Northwestern........ 19 14 - 33
 
GROUND BALLS BY PRD   1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Rutgers............. 12 14 - 26
Northwestern........ 18 12 - 30
 
DRAW CONTROLS BY PRD  1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Rutgers.............  6  3 -  9
Northwestern........  5  6 - 11
 
FREE-POSITION SHOTS    1     2     Total
----------------------------------------
Rutgers.............  0-1   1-2  -  1-3
Northwestern........  3-4   2-5  -  5-9
 
SAVES BY PERIOD       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Rutgers.............  9  5 - 14
Northwestern........  4  5 -  9
 
FOULS BY PERIOD       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Rutgers............. 12 12 - 24
Northwestern........ 12 17 - 29
 
TURNOVERS BY PRD      1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Rutgers............. 14 12 - 26
Northwestern........ 12 15 - 27

2007-04-23