ANN ARBOR, Mich. –– Coach Tracey Fuchs choked up in the press room as she addressed reporters following Northwestern’s national championship victory Sunday.
Two of her three captains –– senior midfielder Maddie Zimmer and graduate student goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz –– sat next to her, smiles plastered, NCAA trophies proudly displayed on the podium.
“To bring home a second national championship in field hockey to Northwestern, I’m so incredibly grateful,” Fuchs said. “You always want to bring your best when you come to a Final Four. We did that today and saved our best for last.”
The 50th team in program history is bringing back hardware to Evanston after the Wildcats (23-1, 8-0 Big Ten) convincingly defeated Saint Joseph’s, winning 5-0 in the national title game.
Senior midfielder Maddie Zimmer scored a pair of goals, as did sophomore back Ilse Tromp. Sophomore forward Olivia Bent-Cole rounded out the scoring with a first-quarter goal.
In a game reflecting the ’Cats’ season of dominance, NU took a chokehold early and never looked back.
Six minutes into the first quarter, Tromp sent a long pass toward Zimmer. The midfielder burst into the shooting circle at breakneck speed, corralling the pass on the run and converting momentum into a high-powered shot.
The strike blew past Saint Joseph’s goalkeeper Marith Bijkerk and struck the left side netting to put the ’Cats up 1-0.
“She’s the best in the country, bar none,” Fuchs said of Zimmer, who was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. “Any time you have her on the field, you have the chance to win.”
NU ratcheted up its offensive intensity in the first quarter, controlling possession and logging five shots on goal.
With four minutes left in the first frame, graduate student midfielder Lauren Wadas found a streaking Zimmer, who carried the feed into the circle. Zimmer fired a centering pass that Bent-Cole redirected to double the ’Cats lead.
On NU’s first penalty corner, sophomore forward Ashley Sessa inserted a feed to senior back Lauren Hunter, who controlled the ball with a stick-stop. Tromp whipped a drag flick into the bottom left pocket of the cage to extend the ’Cats lead to 3-0 at the opening period’s conclusion.
Hunter’ posted a game-high three assists. When it mattered most, a player Fuchs described as “someone who always goes under the radar” made a major impact.
NU continued its scoring onslaught. With nine minutes left in the first half, Sessa lined up to insert another penalty corner. Hunter stick-stopped. Zimmer fired a sweep to extend the lead to four.
“This team was special,” Fuchs said. “They came out and they played every game like it was their last, and didn’t take anybody lightly and stepped up against those teams that really were putting pressure on us.”
Sessa, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, also contributed two assists Sunday to set a new program single-season points record (67), breaking ’Cats Hall of Famer Chelsea Armstrong’s mark set in 2012.
On one of NU’s five second-quarter penalty corners, senior midfielder Regan Cornelius found Hunter’s stick on the insertion. Tromp shot her second drag flick past Bijkerk, and the match’s scoreline remained unchanged from that juncture.
Saint Joseph’s recorded just three shots Sunday, which tied the fewest-ever shots tallied in an NCAA championship.
“I have full faith in the players in front of me,” Skubisz said. “I think that we have, in my opinion, the best defensive unit in the country.”
Through 60 minutes Sunday, the ’Cats put on a showcase, displaying the best offensive and defensive units in the country.
When the scoreboard read zeroes, Fuchs hugged her assistants on the sidelines. The NU players made a beeline toward Skubisz and mobbed their goalkeeper, who finished her collegiate career on the highest of highs. So did the rest of the graduating seniors and graduating students.
“I committed to Northwestern knowing what this team would be capable of with the staff and the players,” Skubisz said. “I’m just so honored and happy that it turned out exactly how I hoped.”
With the win, the ’Cats have established themselves as a perennial contender. The resume speaks for itself: Four straight national championship game appearances. Two wins.
It’s a credit to the program Fuchs has established over 15 years, backed by associate head coach Georgia Holland as well as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Will Byrne.
On November 24, 1985, Fuchs won her first national championship, as a player for UConn. Sunday, 39 years to the day, she hoisted her third overall and second as a coach.
As she cemented her legacy into immortality, she couldn’t help but notice the coincidence.
“All the stars aligned in every way,” Fuchs said. “To have this (senior) class go out as arguably the best class to ever play for Northwestern makes me and my staff incredibly proud. They sacrificed a lot, they put in the work, and they deserve a nice rest now.”
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Rapid Recap: No. 2 Northwestern 5, No. 4 Saint Joseph’s 0
— Field Hockey: Northwestern’s Olivia Bent-Cole eyes second national title shot
