Northwestern field hockey begins its 2025 run as the defending national champions in just over a month, as the Wildcats open their season at Richmond on Aug. 31. Inside NU will be doing more detailed previews of certain top players on the squad throughout the next few weeks, but for now, here’s a general overview of what to expect from the 2025 team.
Roster Turnover
Losses: Annabel Skubisz (GK), Lauren Wadas (M), Lauren Hunter (M), Regan Cornelius (M), Katie Jones (M/B), Chloe Relford (M/F), Lane Herbert (F), Sophie
Dix (F)
Additions: Grace Schulze (F, Princeton), Kate Janssen (M, Delaware), Kerry McCormick (B, Old Dominion), Julia Soriano (B/M), Annika de Haan (M), Lindsey Brown (M), Kayla Joyce (GK)
Italicized names indicate incoming transfers and graduated players who were near full-season starters in 2024.
In Goal
Two-time Big Ten Goalie of the Year Annabel Skubisz consistently delivered for Northwestern over the last five years, performing as one of the best, if not the best, players on the field. But now that Skubisz is gone, the goalie spot has gone from one of consistency to one of many questions. The biggest one: Who will replace her?
It seems Northwestern has already answered that question. In May, head coach Tracey Fuchs indicated to media that Julianna Boon would be the next one up between the pipes. Although Boon is listed as a freshman on the Wildcats’ 2024 roster, Fuchs said that the goalie was able to secure a redshirt year during the offseason, having yet to make a single appearance in her young career.
Boon, who played for the Texas Pride club like Skubisz, is a Dutch-American dual citizen with experience playing for the U.S. U18 National team. Fuchs praised Boon’s quickness and decision-making abilities in training, saying she had what it takes to replace a massive legacy in Skubisz.
Another possible goalie option is redshirt sophomore Faye Post, who played in the latter half of Northwestern’s 2024 win against UC Davis — her only college appearance to date.
Backs
In 2024, Northwestern ranked second in the nation for goals against average (.519) and shutouts per game (.58). And while much of that is Skubisz’s doing, credit has to be given to the line right in front of her.
The Wildcats’ biggest losses in the backfield include Lauren Hunter and Katie Jones, who both played over 1,000 minutes last season. But the rest of the defensive unit will stay intact.
Headlining this position group is rising junior Ilse Tromp, a 2024 first-team All-Big Ten and second-team NFHCA All-American honoree. She started all 24 games for the Wildcats and was the only player on the team to record multiple defensive saves, including a critical one in the NCAA semifinals against Massachusetts. Joining her is rising senior Greta Hinke, a second-team All-Big Ten-caliber player who was also a full-season starter in 2024. She tallied one defensive save and was especially important to the Cats' NCAA quarterfinal win against Virginia.
Northwestern has been waiting for Maja Zivojnovic to be healthy for the last two years and it’s finally a reality in 2025. After suffering a season-ending injury in 2023 and playing limited minutes in 2024, the team expects the rising senior to be at full strength this fall. She showed her potential at the start of the 2023 season when she was named the NFHCA DI Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week in September, and could be a big boost to the ‘Cats with her consistent presence.
All-Big Ten freshman team honoree Emille Kirschner started five games last season and contributed big minutes off the bench, and could see an increased role in her sophomore year. Old Dominion transfer Kerry McCormick could also be a contributor, starting two seasons for the Monarchs, including a 2023 run to the NCAA tournament.
Forwards
It’s no secret that Northwestern’s offense runs through its two biggest returning superstars, Ashley Sessa and Maddie Zimmer, the Wildcats’ top and second-highest point scorers of the 2024 season respectively. Unlike the previous season, this duo will head into 2025 without the toll of playing for the U.S. Olympic team in the lead-up to the college season (though both players got reps for Team USA in other international competition this summer).
Zimmer is arguably the best player in the country, having earned the 2024 NFHCA Player of the Year, the Honda Award and the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. She’s a force in the midfield who can single-handedly connect the front and backfield with her speed and ball control, often setting up the offense (and many times Sessa). With 10 goals and 12 assists in 2024, she’s also a big contributor there herself.
Meanwhile, Sessa is coming off a nation-leading and Northwestern single-season record-breaking 67 points (24 goals, 19 assists). The reigning Big Ten attacker of the year is expected to once again be the No. 1 option on the Wildcat attack, both through her creative shot-making and her playmaking as the inserter on penalty corners.
Other goalscoring options are second-team All-Big Ten rising junior forward Olivia Bent-Cole, who ranked fourth on the team in points (eight goals, three assists), as well as Tromp, who had 11 goals and nine assists primarily stemming from penalty corner plays. Rising junior Piper Borz could also get more playing time, coming off the bench to tally five goals and three assists last season.
Northwestern’s biggest offensive loss is Lauren Wadas, the first-team All-American who recorded six goals and four assists and was responsible for several game-winners throughout her career. Hunter’s 14 assists, which ranked second on the team last season, will also be missed.
On the flip side, the Wildcats gain two additions who could contribute to the offense. Princeton’s Grace Schulze, a former all-Ivy selection, recorded four goals and seven assists last season and is expected by Fuchs to be the team's “setup person.” Former Delaware Blue Hen Kate Janssen had two goals and two assists last season and will join the likes of Zimmer in the midfield.
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