Northwestern field hockey won its second national championship in four years, defeating No. 4 seed St. Joseph’s 5-0 in the NCAA title game Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The second-seeded Wildcats scored all five goals in the first half, with two from Maddie Zimmer, two from Ilse Tromp and one from Olivia Bent-Cole. Goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz posted her 14th shutout of the season, a single-season school record. The Wildcats’ 23-1 season also marked a school record for wins.
Zimmer, a senior, was named the tournament’s most outstanding player with two goals and five assists.
The Wildcats won the school’s first field hockey national title in 2021, starting a current four-year streak of appearing in the championship game. According to the school, they are the sixth program in the sport’s history to win multiple national championships.
The national championship is the second for Tracey Fuchs as the Wildcats head coach, adding to her 1985 title as a player with Connecticut. It’s also the 11th NCAA team championship for Northwestern — and 10th by a women’s team — including eight women’s lacrosse titles and the men’s fencing title in 1941.
The Wildcats made their way to the title game with wins over Miami (Ohio), Virginia and Massachusetts. Ashley Sessa scored the Wildcats’ goal, assisted by Zimmer, in the 1-0 win over UMass to advance to the final.
They once again punctured a title streak for North Carolina, which had won the previous two championships over Northwestern. The Wildcats’ 2021 national title halted three consecutive Tar Heels championships.