LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Northwestern's Ilse Tromp's penalty corner goal with 36.8 seconds remaining in regulation was the difference as the No. 1-ranked Wildcats held off Cornell's upset bid with a 1-0 victory on Saturday afternoon at Louisville's Trager Stadium. Northwestern remained unbeaten at 6-0, while the Big Red fell to 0-3.

Tromp's goal overshadowed a fantastic performance by the Big Red, especially the defense around sophomore goalkeeper Martha Broderick, who made several spectacular stops among the eight she recorded on the evening. Northwestern held a 20-6 edge in shots and a 13-4 advantage in penalty corners, though six of those came in the final quarter. 

While Northwestern held a territorial advantage much of the second half, it would have been hard to tell which team was unbeaten entering the contest. The Big Red had a number of offensive chances, putting a pair of shots on goal and putting pressure on the 2023 NCAA runner-up.

Junior Georgia Kelly put a pair of shots on goal for the Big Red, all coming on penalty corners. Grace Leahy's tip off a cross nearly beat Northwestern All-American Annable Skubisz in the final six minutes to put Cornell into the lead, but that opportunity was canceled out by a third quarter defensive save by Gabby Volpe on a dangerous chance.. 

UP NEXT:
• Cornell will remain in Louisville to play the ninth-ranked Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 15 at 4 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
• The Big Red won the only previous meeting with Louisville when it defeated the fourth-ranked Cardinals 2-0 on Oct. 23, 2022 in Ithaca.