What do you have to do to beat Northwestern?
A question that field hockey programs around the country have been asking themselves for a month and a half.
A question that nobody has an answer to.
12 programs have tried their hand. 12 have been sent home disappointed, failing to take the ‘Cats out of their “play hard, play fast, push the pace” identity. In fact, the more they’ve tried, the worse they’ve failed. NU has outscored its last four opponents 24-1.
Will anyone pose a challenge to the back-to-back
defending national champions?
Navigating Turbulence
Northwestern had much less success than its used to seeing on the penalty corner and in transition this weekend, but a separator between NU and the rest of the nation is its ability to navigate chaos.
When the set piece goes sideways, the Wildcats keep their composure and work the ball around to find an opening. That was a big theme this past weekend, and it centered around Ashley Sessa.
One of the more tame scores on the weekend, but this assist to cap off the 5-0 win over Ohio State might be up there with some of her best in her career.
This entire play, Sessa is marked by two Ohio State defenders — well, when you win Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year twice in a row, you’ve earned that treatment — and gets bottlenecked all the way down to the end line, nearly turning the ball over. Instead of working her way backwards, she sends a near-perfect pass to the front of the cage, batted down for Raquel Hofmeister.
Plays like these defined her weekend. Against the Wolverines, she capped off her hat trick by pouncing on a deflection during a penalty corner try and sent it to the top of the cage for the score.
How’d that day start? With a magnificent run to the goal, because that’s what Ashley Sessa does.
Things didn’t go 100% according to plan when you watch the tape, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by the box score, because Sessa was everywhere the defense wasn’t in times of treachery.
The Crispiest of Passes
The Northwestern front line pieced together some of the best ball movement we’ve seen in the past five years of the program. No exaggeration.
Let’s move to another captain to start this discussion: Aerin Krys.
Krys is one of the best passers on this squad, and has been for a few years now, in large part due to her ability to control the ball along the end line and set up her teammates in the circle. She’s so good at it that she’s added a bit of flair to it.
Here’s another example on a quick reset: Laura Salamanca giving Sessa a tap-in with a strong pass through Krys’ legs and to her stick.
Here’s something you might notice if you go to a game at Lakeside Field: when at its best, Northwestern’s passes can be audibly heard rippling across the wet turf. The sound isn’t faint, but it echos through the venue — rather, any venue you go to. That sound is a signal to watch out, because the ‘Cats’ confidence is on cloud nine.
Weekly Awards
Player of the Week: Ashley Sessa
An other-worldly weekend from the captain.
Sessa, for the fourth time in her Northwestern career, has 10+ points across two contests. She conducted the two thrashings of Ohio State and Michigan, providing 40% of the goal production across the two games.
Clearly, the best forward in the nation.
Unit of the Week: Everyone. All three groups were flawless this week. End of story.
Play of the Week: Kiera Sack’s Slick Deflection.
When I watched this clip back, I couldn’t help but to sing “Smooth Operator” in my head. This was a ridiculously satisfying watch.
This ball started from about 30 yards out from the cage and in the blink of an eye, it’s past the keeper. It’s a great representation of how fast-paced NU’s offense is, and the best play from the front line during a weekend where their passes were exceptional.
Up Next
NU is about to head into its toughest trio of games to date, facing No. 6 Iowa on Friday, No. 10 Princeton on Sunday and No. 2 Maryland next Thursday — the only other undefeated that remains in all of NCAA D-I field hockey. NU’s defense has been stellar, but in just a few days, it’ll need to find an answer for the best offensive duo in the nation: Dionne van Aalsum and Frederique van Cleef, who have combined for 30 goals, the most of any duo in the country.
Then comes the rematch of last year’s national championship, which Northwestern seemed like it would squander for a solid six minutes in the second half. Obviously, the Tigers haven’t been the same without Beth Yeager, but remain a threat to win the Ivy League Tournament in a few weeks.
But the story of the season have been the Terps’. NOBODY thought they’d beat Duke, Wake Forest and Princeton. At the start of the year, you’d probably pencil in the first two games as losses. Knowing what we do now, Maryland might be the scrappiest team in the country, and that identity fits it like a glass slipper.
The next 11 days will reveal a lot about what team Tracey Fuchs is working with heading into postseason play.
