Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Draws Duke in NCAA Tournament Opening Round
11/9/2014 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's field hockey team will take on Duke in a round-of-16 matchup Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Wildcats (16-6) will be making their first NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years after earning an automatic bid by virtue of defeating Maryland 3-1 in Sunday's Big Ten tournament championship game.
The NCAA tournament appearance is the 12th in school history for Northwestern. NU appeared in the NCAA tournament each year from 1983-94 with the exception of 1992.
The 'Cats and Blue Devils (12-6) will square off in the second matchup of the day at Francis E. Henry Stadium at 1 p.m. Central time. Host North Carolina takes on the winner of a Wednesday play-in game between Richmond and Liberty in the first contest of the day at 10:30 a.m. CT.
Saturday's winners square off at 1 p.m. CT Sunday with a berth in the following weekend's NCAA semifinals on the line. The NCAA semifinals and championship matches are set for Nov. 21 and 23, respectively, in College Park, Md.
Northwestern had defeated Duke on its home field each of the last two seasons. The Wildcats posted a 4-2 win over the Blue Devils Sept. 9, 2012 before earning a 3-2 victory on Sept. 20, 2013. The 'Cats lead the all-time series between the schools, 3-2.
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