Football gets all the hype, but some other Wildcat teams are playing pretty well, too. Field hockey boasts a top-ten ranking, while volleyball and women’s soccer pulled off upset victories last weekend. WNUR’s Michael Stern (@michaeljstern23) fills you in.

 Field Hockey: The ‘Cats are off to a fast start in Big Ten play, beating ranked Maryland and Iowa teams en route to a 4-0 conference record and the number eight national ranking. Sophomore Isabel Flens leads the Wildcats with nine goals and 25 points, while senior goalkeeper Maddy Carpenter’s 1.29 goals against average ranks third in the conference. Northwestern embarks on a two-game road trip to Michigan this weekend, featuring a neutral-site non-conference showdown Friday at the Big House in Ann Arbor against seventh-ranked Stanford and a Sunday matinee against Central Michigan.

Northwestern’s Addie Steiner scored twice Sunday against Illinois, giving her eight goals on the season. Photo credit: Stephen J. Carrera/submitted to the Kansas City Star.

Women’s Soccer: Addie Steiner scored twice to lift the Wildcats to a 2-0 upset victory over previously 19^th-ranked Illinois Sunday at Lakeside Field. The victory was the team’s first in Big Ten play this season. Steiner’s goals increased her team-leading total to eight, while goalkeeper Lauren Clem tallied her fourth shutout of the season. Northwestern looks for a second straight home conference victory against a ranked team Sunday, when 12^th-ranked Wisconsin comes to town.

 Men’s Soccer: Northwestern’s men’s soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to six with a 2-0 win over Northern Illinois Wednesday night. Goalie Tyler Miller blanked the Huskies for his seventh shutout of the season; his 0.50 goals against average ranks third in the Big Ten. The Wildcats, ranked 24^th in the country after an overtime win against Maryland last weekend, have the weekend off before a Tuesday night non-conference game against Notre Dame. Joey Calistri and Cole Missimo are tied for the team lead with four goals and 10 points each.

Women’s Volleyball: The 24^th-ranked Wildcats completed a stretch of three straight matches against ranked opponents Wednesday, falling at number five Penn State. Last week, Northwestern hosted sixth-ranked Wisconsin and number 18 Minnesota. The ‘Cats lost to the Badgers last Wednesday but upset the Gophers on Sunday. Northwestern is 13-3 on the season, 3-2 in the Big Ten. All three Wildcat losses have come against ranked teams. Ohio State welcomes the Wildcats to Columbus Saturday in the second leg of Northwestern’s current four-match road trip.