These tough opponents could shake the ‘Cats, but couldn’t break them.
No. 2 Northwestern field hockey (which lost its No. 1 ranking to the 6-0 University of North Carolina on Tuesday) keeps its win streak alive, but it wasn’t all that easy.
This past weekend, the Wildcats traveled to College Park to take on No. 5 Maryland, winning 1-0 in a match that separated them from the rest of their conference in the race for the Big Ten regular season title. Then, Northwestern went to New Jersey to take on No. 16 Princeton, winning in a 3-2 nailbiter. The team now improves to a 10-0 record — its best start since 1985, when it opened its season with a 14-0 run.
At No. 5 Maryland, Sep. 27
Northwestern’s battle against Maryland had a similar theme to many of its previous matchups — the defense held its ground, and one singular goal was enough for the team to scrape by with a win. In fact, the match was the Wildcats’ fourth 1-0 victory in six games.
The goal for Northwestern came early, 10:38 into the game. Sophomore Ashley Sessa had been awarded a penalty corner, and she passed the ball to senior Lauren Hunter, who then tapped it to sophomore Ilse Tromp. Tromp fired the ball from the edge the goal circle and found the back of the net to give the Wildcats the lead.
The ‘Cats strike early ⚡️
Goal No. 3⃣ for Ilse Tromp in 2024. pic.twitter.com/NZICs7dvD1
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) September 27, 2024
During the second quarter, Maryland outshot Northwestern 4-1 and took three penalty corners while NU took just one. However, the Wildcat defense did its job to stymie the Terrapin onslaught — it prevented Maryland from taking a single shot following Emma Deberdine’s corner four minutes into the quarter, and then NU graduate student goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz ended Deberdine’s next corner attempt with a save around five minutes later.
Northwestern did a good job keeping the ball away from Maryland in the second half, outshooting the Terrapins 9-3 and outnumbering them in penalty corners 7-3. Although the Wildcats couldn’t convert any of their offensive opportunities into goals, Tromp’s efforts at the start of the game proved to be just enough to get Northwestern its third Big Ten win.
At No. 16 Princeton, Sep. 29
Northwestern’s lack of offensive firepower and reliance on defensive strength came back to bite it on Sunday when the Wildcats allowed a goal for the first time since September 1 and trailed for the first time since the 2023 season.
Princeton’s goal came seven minutes into the game when Beth Yeager’s pass to Lydia Bills escaped four Northwestern defenders, allowing Bills to flick the ball up into the air and hit it past Skubisz.
Not a bad time for your first career goal. Lydia Bills from Beth Yeager, and Princeton is up 1-0 on No. 2 Northwestern. Only the second goal the Wildcats have allowed all year. pic.twitter.com/1x70JYP3z9
— Princeton FH (@TigerFH) September 29, 2024
That being said, the first quarter score didn’t account for Northwestern’s missed opportunities. NU outshot Princeton 5-1 in the first 15 minutes of the game, but the Princeton defense didn’t allow it to convert. Much of this was because of Tigers’ goalie Robyn Thompson, who saved three consecutive shots by the Wildcats (two from freshman Nadia Nemeth and one from sophomore Ashley Sessa) in 30 seconds.
The second quarter was scoreless, with Northwestern outshooting Princeton 4-3. Headed into halftime, the Wildcats still trailed 0-1. But in the third quarter, a much-needed offensive explosion came for them — one they hadn’t seen since beating Iowa 4-0 on Sep. 20.
On its seventh penalty corner attempt, Northwestern finally got points on the board, with graduate student Lauren Wadas assisting Sessa for a goal. Two minutes later, Sessa scored again to give her team the lead. That goal was Sessa’s seventh goal of the season.
Miss the action? Catch today’s highlights pic.twitter.com/T4FXYRNOdI
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) September 29, 2024
The third-quarter onslaught didn’t stop for Northwestern, as sophomore Olivia Bent-Cole joined the party one minute after Sessa’s second goal. To score, she had to beat out three Princeton defenders. Those three goals were enough to give NU the win — although Princeton’s Ella Cashman scored off a penalty corner in the fourth quarter to put the Tigers within a goal, the effort was not enough. If the Wildcats can get back to consistent multi-goal performances (as they did in four of their first five games), then this squad gets even scarier.
What’s Next?
Northwestern will return to Evanston for more Big Ten matchups this upcoming weekend. First, it will face Rutgers on Friday at 3 p.m., before going against NCAA scoring leader Sophia Gladieux and No. 19 Penn State at noon on October 6.