Last Friday, the No. 12 Michigan field hockey team took the pitch against Northwestern for a battle that would put the winner in prime position to win the Big Ten regular season.

The Wolverines entered the home contest having won nine of their previous 10 games, with the lone loss coming in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to No. 1 Maryland. The Wolverines (4-0 Big Ten, 10-5 overall) knew how important this game was; with only two remaining conference games left in the season, Michigan could hardly afford to drop one at home.

And it didn't, beating the Wildcats (2-1, 10-5) in a 4-3 game.

The game started with a flurry of offense from both squads. Northwestern scored in the fourth minute of the game, but freshman forward Rachel Mack took a rebound from senior Paige Laytos for a goal one minute later.

Laytos and Mack did not ease up on the Wildcats, as the two paired up for another goal with eight minutes left in the first half, on a rebound from Laytos to Mack.

The goal was Mack’s 10th on the season and it would not be her last of the day. Michigan outshot the Wildcats 10-5 and 6-1 on penalty corners in the first half, though Northwestern tied it up at two going into the half.

Laytos stepped up again in the second half. Her scrappy play put her around the ball again, this time with a goal off a penalty corner. She set her teammates up, securing four points on the day, two for the goal and one on each assist. The goal was Laytos’s first of the season.

Senior forward Marnie Robbins scored her third goal of the day for Northwestern to tie the game 3-3 early in the second half.

Michigan had multiple opportunities in overtime. These included two breakaways, one by senior Alicia Mayer that rolled right of the goal, another by junior Hannah Dawson, which the Wildcat goalie kicked away.

Ten minutes and 20 seconds into overtime, the Wolverine tandem of Mack, Laytos and Mayer led a charge down the field that the Wildcats couldn't contain. Mayer passed to a streaking Mack, who netted her third goal of the day, in the back left corner of the cage.

“We had a three versus one on the goalie, we had to score,” Mack said. “We lost the ball, got it back and attacked hard.”

Mayer found an open Mack, who closed out a hat-trick performance with a pile of Wolverines on top of her.

“The coaches were telling me all game to go around her, to the outside, so I did,” Mayer said.

Despite giving up a hat trick, goalie Haley Jones came up with two crucial saves in overtime, improving to 9-1 as a starter this season.

Teammates Mack and Mayer acknowledged their friendly competition.

"Me and Rachel are competing for goals on the team," Mayer said. "I figured I would help her out today, give her a head start."