Wildcats Travel to Maryland Before Hosting Senior Day Sunday

10/17/2018 3:15:00 PM | Field Hockey

2018 NORTHWESTERN FIELD HOCKEY
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (CT)	LOCATION	WATCH	LIVE STATS
Friday, Oct. 19	No. 2 Maryland	3 p.m.	College Park, Md.	BTN2GO	Sidearm
Sunday, Oct. 21	Ball State	Noon	Evanston, Ill.	BTN2GO	Sidearm
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EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 17 Northwestern closes out their regular season this weekend, traveling to No. 2 Maryland on Friday to take on their final Big Ten opponent, before returning home for Senior Day to host Ball State at noon on Sunday.

The Wildcats are 8-8 and 3-5 in the Big Ten, ranking seventh in the league after last weekend's losses to No. 14 Rutgers and No. 6 Penn State, both conference opponents. The top four teams in the Big Ten will host quarterfinals match ups in the Big Ten Tournament, and the winners will travel to Evanston, where Northwestern will host the semifinal and final games.

The 'Cats are coming off of two tight contests, with both losses decided by just one goal. Senior Eva van Agt scored the lone goal for Northwestern on Friday in the 2-1 defeat to Rutgers. Six different 'Cats tallied a point in the 4-3 contest against Penn State, with goals coming from junior Saar de Breij, first year Maren Seidel, and senior Charlotte Vaziri. Seniors Puck Pentenga and Eva van Agt and junior Kirsten Mansfield all picked up an assist.

On Sunday, Pentenga notched her 40th career assist, remaining third all-time in Northwestern program history for total assists. With 10 assists on the season, Pentenga ranks second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally, tied with teammate Kirsten Mansfield. Her season point total stands at 28, the fourth highest total in the conference.

Junior Annie Kalfas totaled seven saves on the weekend, bringing her season total to 44. Her total is tied for the fifth highest mark in the Big Ten.

Northwestern will honor Pentenga, van Agt, Vaziri, and Lucy Waterhouse in Senior Day ceremonies before the match up against Ball State on Sunday.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

No. 2 Maryland

Last season, the Wildcats traveled to College Park, Md. and took down the Terrapins, 3-2. Mansfield nabbed the game-winning goal, while Pentenga tallied two assists.

Maryland sits at 15-1 on the season, and 6-1 in the conference. Their only loss has come at the hands of Penn State. The Terps are undefeated at home, with seven wins in College Park.

Senior Linnea Gonzales and junior Nike Lorenz top the Terps' score sheet, with 12 and ten goals, respectively. Junior Madison Maguire's ten assists are tied with Pentenga and Mansfield's totals, ranking second in the conference.

Senior Sarah Holliday plays the majority of the minutes in goal for Maryland, totaling 11 wins, 36 saves, four shutouts, and a .706 save percentage.

Ball State

Northwestern leads the series against Ball State 22-7-2, and has racked up 11 goals and two shutout wins in the previous two seasons. Last time out, the Wildcats traveled to Muncie, Ind. and handed the Cardinals a 6-0 defeat. Pentenga racked up five points with a goal and three assists.

Ball State holds a 2-12 record this season. The Cardinals have scored 12 goals on the season, while letting in 61 goals against.

Three Cardinals have tallied three goals each, with junior Michelle Shampton and sophomores Rachel Pereira and Sierra Jefferson sharing the top spot. Pereira adds two assists to lead the team with eight total points.

Sophomore Grace Chavez sits in net for Ball State, and has a total of 106 saves, a .635 save percentage, and one shutout.

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