This year, fifth-seeded Northwestern will have a key advantage over the six other teams in the Big Ten Tournament: home field.
The Wildcats will kick off the 2010 version of the tournament against fourth-seeded and No. 10 Michigan State at Lakeside Field on Thursday. The tournament runs through Sunday.
The Big Ten currently has four teams ranked in the polls and with only 16 spots in the NCAA Tournament available, this weekend will be imperative for a lot of teams.
“The tournament is huge for everyone,” Penn State coach Charlene Morett said. “We have seven great teams in the Big Ten and they are all hoping to be able to play in the NCAAs.”
No. 5 Ohio State, having beaten second-seeded and No. 11 Michigan during conference play, is the top seed and gets a bye into the semifinals. Michigan will play seventh-seeded Iowa in the middle game of the three on Thursday. The last game that day pits third-seeded and No. 8 Penn State against Indiana, the sixth seed.
For the Cats, the stakes could not be higher. After losing their last two conference games against Penn State and Michigan State, the team is anxious to prove they are one of the elite teams in the Big Ten.
“We were competitive with every single Big Ten team,” sophomore midfielder Chelsea Armstrong said. “We lost some close games and we just need to take our anger with us into the Big Ten tournament.”
Coach Tracey Fuchs said coming out on top this weekend is the “only way” for the Cats to make the NCAA Tournament.
“We thought this whole season we are a top-15 team but we need to beat the No. 10s and 11s to prove that,” Fuchs said.
For the eight seniors on this year’s squad, the tournament holds an even greater significance. After a tough loss on Sunday’s Senior Day, these seniors are looking to walk off of their home field triumphant one last time.
“It’s tremendously special to play the tournament at home,” senior defender Zoe Almquist said. “Michigan State and Penn State had to travel here, go home for a few days and then come back, so not having to travel is a huge advantage.”
Another big advantage for the Cats is their familiarity with their home surface.
“We spend 25 hours a week on this turf,” Armstrong said. “We know how the ball rolls and bounces and that should be to our advantage.”
If the Cats can knock off the Spartans on Thursday, the Buckeyes will await them just a day later. But fatigue certainly will not be an issue for NU. The Cats twice played three games in four days on the road at the beginning of the season.
NU last hosted a Big Ten Tournament in 2008, when the softball tournament took place here. According to Scott Hammer, the NU representative for the field hockey tournament, the planning for this weekend began in late June.
“We aren’t expecting a huge impact on campus, mainly because it only involves seven of the 11 Big Ten teams and it is only two teams playing at a time,” Hammer wrote in an e-mail.
NU is also holding this season’s conference tournament for wrestling in March, during which all 11 schools will compete simultaneously, Hammer said.
For the field hockey tournament, Hammer said that the most chaotic day will be Thursday, with three games in a span of six hours.
While attendance at Lakeside Field averages around 130 people, some players said they lean on the support of the home crowd.
“Screaming and yelling is momentum, and in field hockey, momentum is extremely important,” senior defender Sarah Marcincin said. “The fans are able to pick you up as a team and help us push on.”
