Sunday, November 12
Evanston, Ill.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Louisville
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
'Cats to Face Cardinals in NCAA Quarterfinal
11/11/2023 5:20:00 PM | Field Hockey
EVANSTON, Ill. — After taking down Miami (OH) in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday, Northwestern field hockey will play in the quarterfinal on Sunday against Louisville with a chance to advance to their third straight final four. Action between the 'Cats and the Cardinals will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday at Lakeside Field.
Storylines
Storylines
- Olivia Bent-Cole scored one of three goals for the 'Cats on Friday, giving her ten on the season. She ranks second on the team in goals behind Peyton Halsey (12) and third in points, with 24, behind Halsey (34) and Alia Marshall (25).
- Alia Marshall is third in the country in career assists among active players, with 43. She's just two assists out of second (Mackenzie Allessie, Penn State) and three out of first (Bethany Dykema, Liberty). Both players ahead of her have concluded their seasons.
- Annabel Skubisz blanked an opponent for the 13th time this season in the first round against Miami, establishing a new program record for single-season shutouts. The senior has collected 23 shutouts in four years en route to 63 wins, which ranks first in the NCAA among active goalkeepers. Her .878 season save percentage and her .799 career save percentage are also both best in the nation.
- Skubisz has anchored a defense that has been the stingiest in the NCAA. The 'Cats have allowed just ten goals all season, giving them a 0.51 goals-against-average.
- Northwestern has been excellent in the circle on both sides of the field, earning 9.11 penalty corners per game themselves while allowing opponents just 4.1 corners per game. The 'Cats have outshot opponents more than 2-to-1 this year and opponents have converted less than seven percent of those shots into goals.
- The 'Cats enter Sunday's action on a program-record 19-game winning streak. Their only loss this season came in the season opener on Aug. 27 against Louisville.
- Northwestern is looking to appear in their third straight national title game for the first time in school history. They would be the first Big Ten team to do so since Maryland appeared in four straight from 2008-11.
- The Wildcats and the Cardinals met in this year's season opener - the 'Cats' only loss of 2023. Northwestern outshot Louisville 21-3 in the contest, but fell 1-0 at Lakeside Field, giving Louisville a 9-3 edge in the all-time series.
- Northwestern and Louisville have one prior postseason meeting: a 3-2 overtime victory for the 'Cats in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Players Mentioned
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