It’s almost as if Hollywood wrote the script for Northwestern field hockey in 2025.
Sunday was the ‘Cats ultimate opportunity at redemption. The only opponent to best them this season were the Princeton
Tigers in a 3-2 loss where NU missed three consecutive penalty corners in the final 30 seconds.
Fate would have the two squads meet again in the 2025 National Championship. Northwestern had one more shot to right its only wrong this season, and it didn’t miss the chance.
The ‘Cats gritty defense led the way for a signature 2-1 victory in the NCAA National Championship game. Both Northwestern goals came by way of the penalty corner, as its defense shut down the Tigers towards the tail end of the contest.
Through the final 25 minutes, Northwestern hadn’t allowed a single shot.
As they’ve done all season, the ‘Cats came out applying heavy pressure on Princeton, who started with possession, and it paid off. After battling for possession in its own territory, Northwestern pried the ball out of the claws of the Tigers and moved the possession inside the Princeton 25.
However, the Tigers stayed disciplined on the defensive end, denying NU entry into the circle for the first three and a half minutes of the quarter.
Northwestern’s first shot attempt was sparked by a great defensive play from Olivia Bent-Cole, intercepting a Princeton pass in the ‘Cats attacking third. Maja Zivojnovic sent a shot from well outside the circle through multiple Northwestern and Princeton players, only to have the rolling ball booted away by Olivia Caponiti.
Princeton came roaring back in the other direction to get its first shot of the day on Juliana Boon. Molly Nye ended up with the opportunity, but sent it right into Boon’s chest plate. The contest remained scoreless 6:30 in.
The ‘Cats turned more defense into offense to get their first penalty corner of the game with 4:09 left to go. A Grace Schulze takeaway allowed Ashley Sessa to penetrate the circle and draw a foul.
Zivojnovic stepped up to take the shot, but a diving Caponiti smothered the shot, allowing the Princeton defense to force the ball out of bounds and regain possession.
Bent-Cole forced a second turnover on Tiger territory to draw another NU corner. She once again looked Zimmer’s way for the stop, but Ilse Tromp stepped up for the second PC shot attempt.
Same result: no score. The Tiger defense logged its first block of the contest and kept NU off the board to end the first.
The second quarter started as a continuation of the first, with the Wildcat defense standing firm from inside the arc and clogging up passing lanes whenever it could.
It took five minutes for NU to force Caponiti to spring into action, but its first try at a score in the second was halted before the ‘Cats could even get a shot off, as the Princeton keeper used her mitt as a roadblock that stopped an Aerin Krys pass towards the center of the circle.
Zimmer continued to keep up the incredible NU defensive effort with a takeaway a minute into the second half. She found Schulze once again, sending a pass between the legs of a Princeton defender, but the graduate forward’s shot was again batted away by Caponiti.
Bent-Cole took a Princeton turnover coast-to-coast from the Tigers’ side of the field into the circle on the opposite end to bait a Princeton foul. The subsequent corner shot, taken by Laura Salamanca, was blocked by Tabby Vaughn, but the defender fouled the sophomore in the process.
Corner attempt number two saw Bent-Cole take her first shot of the day, but Gabriella Anderson took the weight off Caponiti’s shoulders with a defensive save, but not too long after, the ‘Cats had a third corner, where Zimmer’s got the better of Caponiti and found the net.
However, the goal was taken off the board because the ball missed the board.
Much of the next five minutes saw the teams play “hot potato” with the ball on Princeton’s side of the field, but Schulze once again came up big for Northwestern with a takeaway that led to the ‘Cats sixth corner of the day. Zimmer was entrusted to take another shot, but the shot bounced off multiple players and died.
Princeton’s Anna Faulstich led her Tigers the other way, swarming the Northwestern circle. The sophomore midfielder to found herself with the ball to the right side of the cage. Boon’s diving attempt prevented Faulstich’s shot from finding the bottom left corner, and her second shot off the rebound missed wide right.
Princeton finally had its first corner of the day with 3:17 on the clock, and sent Pru Lindsey to back to insert. The first shot, taken by Beth Yeager, was blocked by Boon, coming forward off her line to stop it, but the umpires would award the Tigers another. Ottilie Sykes’ shot went left and killed the Princeton rally.
On its next possession, the Tigers had their third corner of the contest, and didn’t miss. The Izzy Morgan stop made way for Yeager to fire towards Boon’s right. The ball skidded off Boon’s limb and into the top-right corner of the net.
Schulze missed an opportunity to tie with a deflection from right in front of the cage, angling her stick an inch too far and barely missing the left post.
The final 15 minutes would be a battle of attrition, as the ‘Cats found themselves in a familiar position: fighting from underneath against the Princeton Tigers, with one quarter left to draw level.
They’d have a golden opportunity to do just that after four minutes and 45 seconds of game time ticked away on a seventh penalty corner. And the seventh time would prove to be the charm for Northwestern. Sessa’s insert went to Tromp’s stick, allowing an unfamiliar shot taker to make her mark on the national title game: Kate Janssen.
History wouldn’t repeat itself. Unlike the events in the regular season matchup, the ‘Cats took came up clutch on the most important corner of the game to tie things up, 1-1.
Both teams scrapped for possession for the next six minutes, with neither gaining an upper hand. Fuchs burned a referral at the 3:54 mark, looking for the replay to show the ball going off a Princeton defender’s arm during a possession that travelled towards the right of the circle.
Sessa was sent towards the end line for NU’s eighth corner, and the junior chose Tromp to rip off the go-ahead shot attempt. Caponiti corrected her previous mistake on the corner attempt before, and got a hand up to keep the game tied.
NU’s defense continued to provide much-needed support, preventing a Princeton shot all quarter. It had one last PC with 30 seconds remaining in regulation, and got a corner out of it with seven seconds on the clock.
Fuchs drew up the play for Zivojnovic and Bent-Cole’s shot off the rebound missed to the right as time expired on the clock.
On to another overtime for the ‘Cats, giving the rematch the dramatic sudden victory finish it deserves.
To start OT 1, the ball rolled between the circles until Sessa found herself in a one-on-one against Caponiti with 6:22 to go in the period. With the sharpest of angles on the net, she attempted to sneak her shot through the five-hole, but the sliding keeper kicked the ball out of bounds.
Princeton continued to struggle with possession all quarter, still unable to find an opening for a shot through the first 10 minutes. Sessa’s missed opportunity was the only shot of the period, carry the national title game to a second overtime.
The ‘Cats started with possession and wasted no time getting into the circle and forcing a corner, bringing their total to double digits.
And finally, the ‘Cats broke through to win it all.
After seventy minutes of play, Tromp’s signature drag flick is what secured the trophy for Northwestern, finding the netting and giving the ‘Cats a 2-1 win in the NCAA final.
Northwestern’s third national title marks the first time the ‘Cats have ever repeated as champions. The legendary Tracey Fuchs owns all three of NU’s titles.
