No. 6 'Cats Set for Important Final Weekend

NORTHWESTERN FIELD HOCKEY: GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE	Opponent	TIME	LOCATION	Stream	Live Stats
Friday, October 29	#1 Iowa	2 p.m. CT	Iowa City, Iowa	Big Ten Network	Live Stats
Sunday, October 31	Indiana	Noon CT	Lakeside Field	B1G+	Live Stats
Social: Twitter: @NUFHCats Instagram: @NUFHCats

EVANSTON, Ill. - No. 6 Northwestern has two games lined-up in a challenging final week of the regular season. The Wildcats (12-4, 3-3) will travel to Iowa City for a road contest against No. 1 Iowa (16-0, 7-0) on Friday at 2 p.m. CT, then head home for Senior Day against Indiana (9-7, 2-5) on Sunday at noon. Friday's game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.

Friday afternoon will be a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, where the 'Cats fell to Iowa 3-1. Northwestern won the other two matchups against Iowa last season and are 4-3 against the Hawkeyes since 2017.

Northwestern and Iowa are two of the most dominant programs in the country, ranking second and third in goals per game in Division I this season. Iowa leads the country with a 3.26 scoring margin, while Northwestern ranks fourth at 2.55.

Sunday's Senior Day comes against Indiana, a team that the 'Cats have outscored 15-0 over their past three matchups. It will likely be the final home game for the Wildcats' two graduate students, Clara Roth and Maddie Bacskai, who have combined to make 29 starts this season. Roth's 10 goals rank second on the team, and her six assists are third best.

It also could be the final home game for the 'Cats six seniors: Maren Seidel, Shannon Daley, Liese Wareham, Kayla Blas, Shannon Lackey, and Casey Joye. In their four seasons at Northwestern, this senior class has compiled a 43-28 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Northwestern leads the Big Ten and ranks second in Division I with 3.88 goals per game, thanks in part to Bente Baekers' 16 goals. Baekers' 16 goals ranks second in the conference and third in the nation, while she also leads the conference and ranks second in the country with 40 points.

Along with Baekers, Clara Roth (10 goals) and Maren Seidel (9 goals) also rank in the top six of the Big Ten's goal leaderboard. The 'Cats join Penn State as the only teams with three players ranking in the top 10 in goals in the conference

Baekers and Roth are the only two players in the Big Ten with 10+ goals and 5+ assists, ranking first and fourth in the conference in points.

After this weekend, the 'Cats will head to the Big Ten Tournament with hopes of boosting their resume for a NCAA Tournament bid. The Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J., starting next Thursday, Nov. 4 and running through Nov. 7.

No. 6 'Cats Set for Important Final Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Maddie Bacskai

Bente Baekers

Kayla Blas

Shannon Daley

Casey Joye

Shannon Lackey

Clara Roth

Maren Seidel

Liese Wareham

Northwestern University Athletics