I think nine is one of my favorite numbers. It’s aesthetically pleasing. It is a perfect square. It does very cool things with its multiplication tables. And it just so happens to be where Northwestern is ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches pool, so that might have some bearing on my opinion too. Let’s see what led to the nine-spot jump for the ‘Cats.

Sept. 18 vs. Purdue University

A beautiful day in Evanston led to a beautiful product on the pitch as Northwestern beat Purdue 3-0 to kick off Big Ten play.

The ‘Cats established their dominance in the fifth minute when junior forward Ella Hase snuck one past the the Boilermaker keeper after an assist from senior midfielder Lily Gilbertson.