'Cats Hit the Road to Face Penn State, Undefeated Rutgers

EVANSTON, Ill. - No. 1 Northwestern field hockey takes to the road to face both No. 16 Penn State and No. 4 Rutgers this weekend. The 'Cats will take on the Nittany Lions on Friday in State College at 4 p.m. CT. Then, on Sunday, they will face the undefeated Scarlet Knights in Piscataway at 10 a.m. CT.

Storylines

The Wildcats extended their winning streak to 13 after shutting out Ohio at Lakeside Field last Sunday - the second-longest winning streak in program history. Only the 1985 team, who won 14 straight, has gone on a longer run. The current 13-game win streak is the longest of head coach Tracy Fuchs' career.
Northwestern enters this weekend at a perfect 5-0 in Big Ten play. Their five wins are tied for their second most conference victories since the Big Ten adopted an eight-game schedule. The 2014 and 2017 teams hold the record since the change with six Big Ten wins each.
With the shutout against Ohio last Sunday, the 'Cats extended their streak to five consecutive shutouts. This is one short of the record held by the 1982, 1986, and 1988 teams, who all shut out six teams in a row.
The 'Cats' defense has been locked in this season, allowing just an NCAA-best seven goals through their first 14 games. They've limited opponents to ten shots or less for five straight games and enter this weekend having outshot opponents 290-to-89 on the season. At the center of it, goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz is top in the nation for goals-against-average at 0.50 and has a 0.833 save percentage, which is third nationally.
Northwestern maintained their No. 1 ranking in the NFHCA poll this weekend for the second consecutive week. Undefeated Rutgers held steady at No. 4 for the second week in a row, while Penn State fell one from No. 15 to No. 16.
Entering this weekend, Northwestern is first in the nation in goals-against-average (0.50), save percentage, corners drawn, and shutouts.
The 'Cats have a chance to clinch a share of the Big Ten regular-season title this weekend in a variety of scenarios. With wins over both opponents, Northwestern is guaranteed at least a share. Should Rutgers lose both of their games and Maryland lose to either of their weekend opponents, the 'Cats could own the title outright with a weekend sweep of their own.

Matchup Information

Northwestern holds a 7-35-1 record against Penn State and leads the all-time series against Rutgers, 9-5-0.
The last time Northwestern faced the Nittany Lions was in September 2022 at Lakeside Field, when the Wildcats pulled off a 5-4 overtime win.
Northwestern and Rutgers last faced off in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament, with the Wildcats achieving a 2-1 overtime win.

'Cats Hit the Road to Face Penn State, Undefeated Rutgers

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Players Mentioned

Annabel Skubisz

Northwestern University Athletics

'Cats Hit the Road to Face Penn State, Undefeated Rutgers

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Annabel Skubisz

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