NORTHWESTERN FIELD HOCKEY: GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	TELEVISION	STATS
Sunday, November 20	No. 1 North Carolina	12:30 p.m. CT	Storrs, Conn.	ESPNU	Live Stats
Social: Twitter: @NUFHCats Instagram: @NUFHCats

STORRS, Conn. – No. 2-seed Northwestern meets No. 1-seed North Carolina in the national championship game Sunday, looking to become the sixth Division I program to ever win back-to-back championships. First pass back from Storrs, Conn. is set for 12:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU and ESPN+.

STORYLINES

» Sunday marks Northwestern's second straight trip to the NCAA title game, coming on the heels of its first-ever appearance last year. The Wildcats beat Liberty 2-0 last year to lift the national championship trophy for the first time in program history. Northwestern is now the eighth Division I program in NCAA history to qualify for two consecutive title games. Only five Division I programs have won back-to-back national titles.

» Fifth-year forward Bente Baekers scored the go-ahead goal and assisted the insurance goal in Friday's 2-1 win over Maryland in the semifinals. Baekers has now scored 24 goals and 56 points this year to rank second in the nation and move herself into second in Northwestern history in career goals and points. With North Carolina's win in the other semifinal matchup, the championship game features the two premier scorers of the era in Baekers and North Carolina's Erin Matson, who rank second and first respectively in career goals among all active players.

BAEKERS. SHOT. YES!!!

Northwestern grabs the 1-0 lead in the fourth!!! pic.twitter.com/ve4sWsfH4i
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) November 18, 2022

» Goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz recorded five saves in the semifinals, enough to break triple digits with 104 on the season. It's the most saves by a Wildcat since 2008, and Skubisz is the first Northwestern keeper to reach 100 saves in a season since 2016. At her best in the postseason, Skubisz has gone 8-2 in cage in Big Ten and NCAA Tournament games over the last two seasons and has posted three shutouts in those games.

» The Cardiac 'Cats put on another show in the Final Four, scoring both their goals in the fourth quarter with Baekers' in the 48th and Relford's in the 59th. Northwestern has now scored 22 goals this year in the fourth quarter and overtime, making up over a third of the team's total goals. It advanced through the first two rounds of the tournament with back-to-back penalty shootout wins, moving to 7-1 this season in overtime games, including a perfect 3-0 record in overtime this postseason.

FOURTH QUARTER 'CATS!!! CHLOE RELFORD!!! pic.twitter.com/KBSxpkFBGJ
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) November 18, 2022

» Friday's win was Northwestern's 20th of the season, tying the program record that has stood unchallenged since 1985. The Wildcats were coached by Nancy Stevens that year, the second-winningest coach in Northwestern history, who is the namesake of the UConn field hockey field where the Final Four and championship games are hosted this year. 1985 was also the year current Northwestern Head Coach Tracey Fuchs, the winningest in program history, won the national championship as a player at UConn.

MATCHUP INFO

NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA (Sunday, November 20, 12:30 p.m. CT)

» Sunday's matchup marks the second straight year, and the second time ever, Northwestern and North Carolina have met in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats prevailed 2-0 in the first round last season, the first of three shutout victories en route to the national title. The Wildcats lead the all-time series with the Tar Heels 5-4-1.

Northwestern to Meet North Carolina in National Championship

STORYLINES

MATCHUP INFO

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bente Baekers

Annabel Skubisz

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern to Meet North Carolina in National Championship

STORYLINES

MATCHUP INFO

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bente Baekers

Annabel Skubisz

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