Friday, September 2
Chestnut Hill, MA
2 P.M. CT
Northwestern
vs
#18 Duke
Photo by: Thom Kendall/UMass Athletics
No. 1 'Cats to Meet Ranked Competition in B1G/ACC Challenge
9/1/2022 12:58:00 PM | Field Hockey
| NORTHWESTERN FIELD HOCKEY: GAMEDAY INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | STREAM | STATS |
| Friday, September 2 | No. 18 Duke | 2 p.m. CT | Chestnut Hill, Mass. | ACC Network Extra | Live Stats |
| Sunday, September 4 | No. 14 Boston College | 3 p.m. CT | Chestnut Hill, Mass. | ACC Network | Live Stats |
| Social: Twitter: @NUFHCats Instagram: @NUFHCats | |||||
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — After beating two top-25 opponents to open the season, No. 1 Northwestern is slated for two more ranked matchups in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge this weekend, taking on No. 18 Duke Friday and No. 14 Boston College Sunday in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Friday's game is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra, and Sunday's game wil be nationally televised on the ACC Network at 3 p.m. CT.
STORYLINES
» Fifth-year forward Bente Baekers earned the season's first Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award Tuesday after a red-hot start to the season. The three-time All-American has scored six goals through the team's first two games, including a career-high four in the season opener against No. 22 Maine. She is the first Wildcat to score six or more goals through the team's first two games of a season since at least 1994 and currently leads the nation in goals, goals per game, points and points per game. The Riswijk, Netherlands native also ranks second among active players across all levels of NCAA field hockey in career marks for each of those categories.National champions doing national champion things ??
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) August 28, 2022
Relive all five Northwestern goals from today's season opening win: pic.twitter.com/CnnbJEvXJf
» Fifth-year midfielder Kayla Blas, fresh off her third straight All-Big Ten honors in 2021, recorded four assists in the first two games, tied for third in the country. She set a new career high with three assists against No. 25 UMass and has been a key cog in Northwestern's high-octane attack that scored nine goals in its first two games.
» True first-year Maja Zivojnovic began her collegiate career with starts in each of the team's first two games, both at center back, helping the Wildcats to allow just two goals. The Rotterdam, Netherlands native is one of three Northwestern first-years to see game action already this season, joined by Greta Hinke and Aerin Krys.
» The 2022 Big Ten/ACC Challenge is tied heading into the weekend with each conference holding two wins apiece. The competition started in Winston-Salem, North Carolina last weekend with No. 3 Michigan and No. 5 Iowa each taking wins for the Big Ten over No. 20 Wake Forest, while No. 2 North Carolina secured both of the ACC's victories by beating Michigan and Iowa. The Big Ten won last year's challenge 6-2 with Northwestern adding a pivotal win over then-No. 12 Duke. Both conferences are powerhouses in the sport, each boasting seven teams in the Top 25 and combining for eight of the top-10 teams. It's part of a stacked schedule for the reigning national champion and top-ranked Wildcats, who will face 14 teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 in 18 regular season games.
» After opening the season in Amherst, Massachusetts last weekend and with both games in Chestnut Hill this weekend, Northwestern spent the whole week in the state. Many Wildcats have family connections in New England, including Shannon Daley, who hails from Sudbury, Massachusetts, about 30 minutes away from Boston College. Keeping with the North East theme, all four teams competing in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge this weekend will be celebrated Saturday at the Boston Red Sox's Field Hockey Day, featuring a meet and greet with players and coaches before the Red Sox take on the Texas Rangers.
MATCHUP INFORMATION
NO. 18 DUKE (Friday Sept. 2, 2 p.m. CT):» Friday's game with No. 18 Duke marks the 13th meeting of the programs and the first since last year's Big Ten/ACC Challenge, a game the Wildcats won 3-0. Graduate transfer Clara Roth scored her first two Northwestern goals and Baekers added one of her own. Goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz, who currently ranks ninth in Northwestern history in career shutouts, recorded her first shutout of 2021 in that game.
» Both teams enter Friday undefeated at 2-0. Both of Duke's games this season have finished in overtime, including the season opener against No. 8 Rutgers that took a shootout to decide the winner.
NO. 14 BOSTON COLLGE (Sunday Sept. 4, 3 p.m. CT):
» Sunday's matchup is the 18th game between Northwestern and Boston College, an all-time series the Wildcats lead 13-4. Northwestern has never lost to the Eagles in Chestnut Hill, having won all seven meetings there. It also marks the first game between the teams in Chestnut Hill since the 2003 season opener, which Northwestern won 3-2.
Players Mentioned
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