For a fifth consecutive season, Northwestern field hockey is headed to the Final Four.
The ‘Cats (20-1, 8-0 B1G) survived a gritty effort from Miami (OH) (16-4, 8-1 MAC), coming out with a 3-2 victory to keep their back-to-back title hopes alive.
Northwestern was led by a goal apiece from Laura Salamanca, Ella Kokinis and Grace Schulze, the latter of whom put up the game-winning tally with 1:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. Maddie Zimmer, Ilse Tromp and Schulze all added assists, overcoming a Miami
team that managed scoring from Malena Sabez and Kylie Coughlin despite putting up just three shots on goal all afternoon.
The ‘Cats outshot the RedHawks 18-7 in total with 10 shots on goal. They also accumulated seven corners compared to just three for Miami.
Both teams threatened on offense during the first several minutes of the game, with crisp passes from the RedHawks allowing them to hang with the fast-paced ‘Cats early. With 7:22 remaining in the first quarter, Northwestern picked up its first penalty corner after a referral from Zimmer. Schulze inserted for NU, and after a stop from Zimmer, Salamanca fired in the game’s first goal with a perfectly-placed shot into the left side of the cage.
Soon after, Miami picked up a corner of its own, but it was ultimately unable to convert after an umpire called a foot before the RedHawks’ shot hit the board. With 3:38 remaining in the first period, Miami earned another corner opportunity. This time, it capitalized on a long strike from Berta Mata that sped toward Coughlin, who dove to the ground and tipped the shot in to score following her own insert.
Zimmer had a wide-open look with about three minutes left in the first, but her shot traveled barely wide left of the cage. Still, the ‘Cats weren’t done with their first-period opportunities. After the RedHawks blocked a penalty corner shot from Maja Zivojnovic, Kokinis pounced on the bouncing ball and quickly split two defenders with the go-ahead tally.
After one quarter, the Wildcats led 2-1. Both squads managed two shots on goal and two corners in the first period. In the second frame, Miami responded quickly, picking up a shot on goal and a penalty stroke less than 30 seconds in and capitalizing with a goal from Sabez to tie the score at 2 apiece.
After the RedHawk goal, things mostly died down until Miami goalkeeper Nicky Sjouken deflected away a good look from Ashley Sessa with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Eventually, with 5:41 on the clock, the RedHawks drew another corner after a physical defensive play from Kerry McCormick in the circle. However, Justina Intzes’ shot went wide, and NU managed to avert disaster.
With under four minutes remaining in the half, Sessa hammered a ball to the right of the cage. The Wildcats continued to pressure, adding another shot followed by a penalty corner with 1:03 on the clock. Tromp’s shot missed, and after a rebound for NU, Sessa’s shot went flying right again, this time knocking down the umpire who was standing on the end line.
From there, the teams went into halftime with the score still tied at 2. The ‘Cats took nine shots and five shots on goal compared to five and three, respectively, for the RedHawks. Both teams took three corners, and Wildcat goalie Juliana Boon made just one save, while Sjouken had three.
Things started slowly to begin the second half until a beautiful pair of passes gave Miami a look in the circle that it ultimately could not capitalize on. With just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, Judit Garcia Gregori of the RedHawks poked the half’s first shot just to the left of the cage.
At last, Zimmer got a shot away with 4:34 remaining in the third for the Wildcats. Sessa followed it up quickly, but both attempts were saved by Sjouken, bringing her saves total to five on the afternoon.
NU continued to pick up the pace, drawing a penalty corner with 2:18 remaining in the period but failing to capitalize on a shot from Tromp. The ‘Cats drew another penalty corner from that sequence, but they ultimately did not score after a Tromp shot was blocked and a Sessa shot was saved by Sjouken once again. After that hectic sequence, neither team managed a shot for the remainder of the third, and the squads entered the fourth still knotted at 2.
With the crowd and benches getting louder, the umpires awarded Salamanca a green card, but Miami’s Riley Mazzalupi gained a green card just eight seconds later to negate its two-minute player-up advantage. With 11:07 left in the fourth quarter, Lucia Ventos of the RedHawks pushed a shot just wide after a golden transition opportunity. Ultimately, neither team managed to score in the 10-0n-10 situation.
Soon after, Sessa drew a corner with exactly nine minutes remaining in the period, but the RedHawks held firm as shots from Tromp and Zimmer got deflected away. Both teams sought to elevate their energy, and with just under five minutes on the clock, Schulze barely overshot Olivia Bent-Cole, who was in a perfect position for a potential go-ahead deflection.
After a failed transition opportunity from the Wildcats, Sabez picked up a green card to give NU a player advantage with 3:19 remaining in the fourth. After multiple attempts in the circle, the Wildcats finally picked up a corner with 1:48 on the clock.
Schulze inserted and took a backdoor pass from Tromp, barely sneaking it over the goal line for what appeared to be the go-ahead tally. After a video review, the umpires determined that Schulze, indeed, did push the ball barely beyond the line, giving the ‘Cats the 3-2 advantage they desperately sought by a matter of inches.
Still, the RedHawks weren’t done. They immediately pulled Sjouken to get an advantage in field players, seemingly securing a corner with 45.6 seconds remaining in the final regulation frame. However, the corner was taken away after video review, and Miami ended up falling just short, falling to the ‘Cats 3-2.
With their victory, the Wildcats will take on the winner of the ongoing UNC vs. Duke matchup in the Final Four. That matchup will occur on Friday in Durham, N.C.
