Field Hockey: Northwestern shuts out Duke and Boston College, improves to 4-0

The No. 1 team in the country isn’t scared of anyone.

The No. 1 ranked Northwestern Field Hockey team continued its hot start last week, picking up big home wins against two ranked ACC teams. On Friday, it did what the football team couldn’t do and defeated No. 5 Duke 2-0 in a 2023 NCAA semi-final rematch. Two days later, it defeated No. 17 Boston College 1-0 by virtue of a late-game goal by sophomore Ashley Sessa.

Here’s a recap of the Wildcats’ weekend slate.

September 6 vs. Duke

The Wildcats struck early against the Blue Devils, scoring both goals of this game in the first quarter. Fifth-year Maddie Zimmer scored the first goal four minutes in, deflecting in a ball fed to her by sophomore Ilse Tromp following a penalty corner. Six minutes later, it was fifth-year Lauren Wadas who scored off a penalty corner, shooting straight from the shooting circle line to make the score 2-0.

Northwestern couldn’t find the back of the net for the rest of the game but did just enough to hold off Duke. The second quarter was relatively quiet as the two teams only combined for one shot, but Duke outshot Northwestern 8-1 in the third quarter. However, NU goalie Annabel Skubisz stepped up to save five of those shots. Another two shots were blocked by the Wildcat defensive unit.

In the fourth quarter, both teams struggled offensively until the last five minutes of the game, with NU taking two shots total and Duke taking one. Duke’s Alana McVeigh made a last-minute effort to put her team on the board with two minutes left, but Skubisz stopped her. Wadas then attempted to score again but couldn’t capitalize off a penalty corner in the game’s waning moments. Yet it didn’t matter. In the end, Northwestern handed Duke its first defeat of the season.

September 8 vs. Boston College

Unlike against the Blue Devils, scoring didn’t come fast in Sunday’s bout with the Golden Eagles. Northwestern began the game with multiple opportunities but just couldn’t capitalize. In the first half, NU outshot Boston College 6-2 and was awarded three penalty corners, but the ‘Cats were unable to convert on any of those nine chances.

Sophomore Olivia Bent-Cole had a major opportunity with 5:49 left in the third, getting a clean look just a few feet away from the goal, but her shot went wide. Then three minutes in the fourth, Greta Hinke converted defense into offense by sprinting from beyond the midfield line to the shooting circle, but her shot couldn’t go either.

With five minutes left in the game, the Wildcats escaped BC’s biggest opportunity for a goal. Boston College’s Peyton Hale took a shot that went past Skubisz, but Wadas was there to back her up and prevent the ball from going in. Around two minutes later, Zimmer assisted Sessa to score the game-winning goal. The team’s two Olympians sealed the deal for the Wildcats, leading them to a 1-0 victory.

What’s Next

Northwestern isn’t done with the ACC just yet — it will next play No. 9 Louisville on the road Friday. The Cardinals were the only team that the Wildcats lost to during the regular season last season. After that match, NU will play Cornell at Lousiville on Saturday.