All in all, it was a highly productive weekend for Northwestern field hockey.
The ‘Cats managed to exorcise their demons on Friday, taking down No. 13 Michigan 3-1 and successfully avenging their lone loss
of 2024, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Wolverines in the Big Ten title game. Then, NU hammered No. 18 Ohio State in its home regular season finale, scoring a season-high seven goals en route to a shutout win.
It’s safe to say a lot has gone right for the Wildcats in their past two games.
Northwestern 3, Michigan 1 (Oct. 24)
The Wildcats managed to pull away in the third quarter of this contest, but the eventual onslaught was preceded by a slow start for both squads. Northwestern blanked the Wolverines in the shots category during the first half, but it only put up one shot in the first quarter before putting together an eight-shot second frame featuring four penalty corners.
Eventually, with about six minutes to go in the half, the ‘Cats broke through. Laura Salamanca, who had scored just once in her career up to that point, fired in a perfect penalty corner shot off a well-placed insert from Grace Schulze and an excellent stick-stop from Aerin Krys.
“She’s been practicing that corner all year,” Wildcat head coach Tracey Fuchs said of Salamanca postgame. “We knew we needed somebody who could get the ball off the move so we could get around their flyer.”
Entering halftime, NU led 1-0.
As has happened often for the Wildcats this season, the third quarter featured plenty of action. After outshooting the Wolverines 9-0 in the first half, Michigan scored on its first shot of the game, capitalizing on a penalty-corner opportunity with a goal from Eva Bernardy.
Eventually, the ‘Cats responded with a second tally, this time from Ashley Sessa, who snuck in a long shot from just inside the shooting circle. Hardly a minute later, it was Olivia Bent-Cole with some masterful moves in front of the cage, managing to score her first goal since Sept. 26 vs. Indiana.
From there, the ‘Cats coasted to a victory, and they ended up outshooting the Wolverines 18-6 overall. Friday’s win also clinched Northwestern’s third consecutive Big Ten regular season title.
“In the Big Ten, it’s really hard to win,” Fuchs said. “We’ve just been really consistent. We have great leadership across the board.”
Northwestern 7, Ohio State 0 (Oct. 26)
With all the momentum on its side, NU took on a reeling Ohio State squad on Sunday, one that had just suffered back-to-back losses against Michigan State and Indiana. The Buckeyes were led by superstar forward Makenna Webster, a one-of-a-kind athlete who boasts two national championships in ice hockey along with an impressive goal-scoring resume on turf.
On Senior Day, the ‘Cats brought an incredible amount of defensive firepower, and Webster scarcely touched the ball the entire game because of it. Northwestern also exploded offensively, putting up a season-high seven goals to run away from the Buckeyes with ease.
“We put it together today,” Fuchs said postgame. “I couldn’t be happier.”
The statistics in Sunday’s contest are simply staggering. The Wildcats outshot Ohio State 27-4 and generated 16 penalty corners compared to just four for the Buckeyes. They also capitalized on opportunities, with each goal seemingly more impressive than the last.
Scoring began late in the first quarter with a penalty-corner goal from Schulze, who went backdoor to convert off an Ilse Tromp pass following her own insert. Soon after, it was Sessa getting on the board unassisted, with a highlight-reel play reminiscent of her “3d goal” against Iowa on Sept. 20, 2024.
The ‘Cats refused to let up. After a scoreless second frame, NU picked up an early third-quarter Bent-Cole goal following a Buckeye turnover. Late in the third, Ohio State was assessed a rare yellow card for having too many players on the field, initiating a five-minute period where the Buckeyes were forced to play shorthanded.
The Wildcats capitalized, picking up another well-placed goal from Sessa and a second score from Bent-Cole off a perfect aerial pass from Maddie Zimmer.
“Playing on our home turf helps,” Bent-Cole said postgame. “I just feel like, especially because it was Senior Day, we all just wanted to play for each other, and that’s exactly what we did today.”
Northwestern entered the fourth quarter with a golden chance to eclipse its season high of five goals, and it did just that, adding a penalty-corner goal from Maja Zivojnovic and a seventh tally from Krys to put away the game. With one contest remaining in their regular season schedule, the ‘Cats will travel to Michigan State to face the Spartans on Friday at 2 p.m. CT.
