ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Senior midfielder Maddie Zimmer intercepted a pass from UMass’ Paula Lorenzini with over 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. In a split second, the Big Ten Player of the Year sprinted down Phyllis Ocker Field’s green turf.
No. 2 Northwestern had accumulated nine shots in the first 49 minutes, none of which found the back of the net.
Zimmer’s said her mentality was to “just run.” As she zipped from 23-meter line to 23-meter line, she found sophomore forward Ashley Sessa on the edge of the shooting circle. Three seconds later, Sessa fired a backhanded effort for the team’s 10th shot of the afternoon.
Goal.
“(I was) just really trying to keep the ball as close to my stick as I can, try not to get it taken,” Zimmer said. “Sessa’s busting her butt up the field with me, which helps a lot. I don’t do it on my own. I have my team with me.”
The connection between Olympic teammates gave the Wildcats (22-1, 8-0 Big Ten) the edge they needed to defeat the Minutewomen (17-6, 7-0 Atlantic 10) 1-0 and advance to their fourth consecutive national championship.
The 12-second sequence came amid a defensive clash, in which NU only allowed two shots on goal — the lowest mark in Final Four history. UMass goalkeeper Myrte van Herwijnen registered six saves through the contest.
“When you get to a Final Four, everybody’s a little stingy, so if you can get 10, 15 shots, you’re going to have a chance to win the game,” coach Tracey Fuchs said. “I knew we had our opportunities. I knew their goalkeeper was playing well, but if we just kept pushing one would fall, and finally, it did.”
Before converting the game-winning goal, Sessa — the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year — had tallied two shots. She was merely 10 minutes away from being held scoreless for the first time in this NCAA tournament run.
But the sophomore forward said she knew a score was imminent.
“It’s always frustrating when you’re taking a lot of shots, and they’re just not falling,” Sessa said. “But at the end of the third, I remember I came off and I just said, ‘We’re knocking on the door there. One of them has to go in.’”
Sessa’s goal marked her 65th point of the season, tying Chelsea Armstrong’s program record set in 2012.
Although Sessa joined the ’Cats this season after transferring from North Carolina, she and Zimmer fostered bonds long before the sophomore’s arrival in Evanston.
The two played field hockey together in their early athletic years at the Spooky Nook Sports complex in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and would later unite as teammates for Team USA, including this past summer at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“A lot of it is just knowing how we play,” Zimmer said. “We’ve been playing together for a while now and just trusting each of our instincts, which is really nice. I know I can at least get the ball close to the circle, pass off to Sessa and let her do her thing. Luckily, that’s what she did today.”
The long-lasting link between Zimmer and Sessa was put on full display in Ann Arbor. While the duo didn’t advance beyond the Parisian preliminary rounds, Sunday presents an opportunity for NU’s All-Big Ten First Team duo to hoist a national championship side-by-side.
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