The last time No. 2 Northwestern field hockey lost a game was Nov. 19, 2023 –– 315 days ago –– in a heartbreaking shootout loss in the NCAA national championship.

The Wildcats (10-0, 3-0 Big Ten) have since lived up to their No. 2 ranking by the NFHCA, dominating every opponent they have faced thus far this season.

With a pair of wins this weekend — a 1-0 victory over No. 5 Maryland Friday and a 3-2 win over No. 16 Princeton Sunday — NU returns from an East Coast road trip with a perfect 10 wins now to its name.

The ’Cats began the weekend with a trip to College Park, Maryland, to take on the fifth-ranked Terrapins.  

Ten minutes into the first quarter, sophomore Ashley Sessa drew a penalty corner. Sessa passed to senior midfielder Lauren Hunter, who teed up a shot for sophomore back Ilse Tromp. With a drag flick, Tromp buried a goal in the net for NU’s first and only score of the contest.

Graduate student goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz stood firm between the pipes for the ’Cats, stopping all four of Maryland’s shots in the second quarter and maintaining the NU lead.

Tough defending by Tromp, Hunter and fifth-year back Katie Jones kept the shutout intact, and NU escaped with a 1-0 victory.

Two days and a 176-mile road trip later, the ’Cats journeyed to the Garden State to take on Princeton.

The Tigers struck first after forward Lydia Bills flicked a bouncing shot over Skubisz midway through the first quarter.

Princeton goalkeeper Robyn Thompson kept the lead 1-0 Tigers in the first half, making seven saves as the ’Cats attempted to regain the lead.

NU broke through in the third quarter, piling on three goals in the span of two and a half minutes.

Sessa deflected a shot from graduate student midfielder Lauren Wadas into the net to tie the game. A minute later, Sessa scored again, this time on a rebound after the ball glanced off Thompson and onto her stick.

Sophomore forward Olivia Bent-Cole scored a minute and a half later, outpacing three Tiger defenders and wrapping a shot around Thompson. 

Though Princeton got a goal back in the fourth quarter by Tiger midfielder Ella Cashman, the ’Cats maintained the lead and finished the game on top 3-2.

Throughout NU’s 10 wins, it has outscored opponents 25-3. The ’Cats average 2.5 goals per game to their opponents’ 0.3 and hold opponents to a mere 0.041 shooting percentage.

Coach Tracey Fuchs’ program has looked dominant and is a clear favorite to claim its second straight outright Big Ten regular season title. The NFHCA poll will be released on Tuesday. The ’Cats should have a chance to reclaim the No. 1 spot following another successful weekend. 

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Twitter: @HenryFrieman

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