The ‘Cats are no longer undefeated.
Northwestern (13-1, 4-0 B1G) split it games against two NFHCA top 10 opponents this past week, beating No. 6 Iowa 2-1 at home before dropping its first game of the season, falling on the road 2-1 to No. 10 Princeton in overtime.
On Friday, the ‘Cats returned to Lakeside Field to take on No. 6 Iowa. The Wildcats came into the game undefeated through 12 games with 3 conference wins. They had beat five ranked teams during that stretch, including then-No. 6 Duke and
then-No. 14 Louisville.
The ‘Cats outshot Iowa 6-2 in the first quarter, but it took more than 13 minutes before the first goal from senior Ashley Sessa, who scored with the assist from fifth-year Aerin Kers.
However, the lead lasted just four-and-a-half minutes before Iowa sophomore Jordan Byers tied it up in the second quarter.
The score stayed tied well into the third until Northwestern turned the momentum from an Iowa shot into its own opportunity. Taking the ball back the other way in a fast break, senior forward Olivia Bent-Cole fed Sessa, who scored again, notching her 11th goal of the season.
The Wildcats would then held on against four more Hawkeyes shots to secure their sixth ranked victory of the season.
After the win, Northwestern got no break, making the nearly 1,000-mile trek to New Jersey to face No. 10 Princeton. Fans of offensive field hockey were disappointed watching the first half, where the two sides totaled just four shots on goal.
However, the Wildcats pushed their advantage out of halftime, firing two shots on net in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Even though Northwestern’s would not maintain its aggressiveness, the defense stayed on top of its game, not allowing a single shot or even a corner for the Tigers for the rest of the quarter. Then, at the end of the third, senior back Kerry McCormick scored her second goal of the season to give the ‘Cats the lead.
The Wildcats continued to deny Princeton a single offensive chance for 12 minutes of the fourth quarter, forcing the Tigers to pull their goalie and get an extra attacker with 2:20 left in the game. The strategy paid off for the Ivy League team when junior Pru Lindsey scored the game-tying goal off a penalty opportunity. Princeton replaced its goalie and no one found an opportunity in the next minute, sending the two top-10 teams to overtime.
Overtime was also uneventful for the first nine minutes, with neither side showing strength. But after 69 minutes of play, the travel and the fatigue of having to play three ranked games in the span of a week may have gotten to Tracey Fuchs’ team. Princeton found its way to the net in the 69th minute, earning two corners and four blocked shots before senior Ella Cashman took a rebound from the fourth blocked shot and sent it to the back of the net giving the Tigers a massive ranked victory and the Wildcats their first loss of the year.
The loss is the ‘Cats’ first in 24 games, since Oct. 13, 2025 against Princeton. Over the last two seasons, NUFH is now 1-2 against Princeton (with its one win coming in 2025’s national title game) and 34-0 against all other opponents.
