Sunday, November 19
Chapel Hill, N.C.
12:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
(21-2 (8-0Big Ten))
1
at
2
#1 North Carolina
(18-3 (5-1ACC))
1
2
3
4
5
6
F
Northwestern
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
North Carolina
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Field Hockey Concludes 2023 Season as National Runners-Up
11/19/2023 9:37:00 PM | Field Hockey
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Northwestern Wildcats concluded their historic 2023 season on Sunday, falling 2-1 in a shootout to North Carolina in the NCAA Championship game at Karen Shelton Stadium.
The game was a battle of field hockey's best that stayed neck-and-neck throughout. Both teams' defenses dominated in the first half, and both sides entered the break still scoreless.
UNC broke through first on a penalty corner opportunity at the start of the third, but Northwestern struck quickly back. Peyton Halsey converted on a penalty stroke with a little over a minute left in the period to even the game at one apiece.
That's where the score would stay through the end of regulation and both overtime periods, as both goalkeepers made plays to keep their teams in the fight. It was still a 1-1 game as the second OT concluded, sending the championship to a shootout.
The Wildcats got off to an early advantage as they made both of their first two shots while Annabel Skubisz blocked one of North Carolina's. After the first five strokes, however, both teams had still made just two shots. On the sixth stroke, North Carolina converted where Northwestern couldn't, and the 'Cats fell just one game shy of their second title in two years.
Despite the loss, the 'Cats' 2023 season was one of the best in program history. Northwestern entered the championship on a program-record 21-game win streak, setting a new high for victories in a single season. Fuchs' team went undefeated on the road for the first time in program history, helping them to a single-season-best .913 winning percentage overall.
The team also featured several individual record-setters, beginning with Skubisz. The senior keeper shut out 13 opponents - the most ever by a Northwestern player in a season - and helped the team to a national best 0.65 goals-against-average on the season.
Alia Marshall's 24 assists this year were one shy of tying the program record, and she completed her Wildcat career with 47 overall, ranking fourth in the record books. Halsey's stroke was her 13th goal of the season, and she'll finish off her time at Northwestern tied for 17th all-time in career points, with 86.
This season's success also came with the help of several newcomers, including first years Olivia Bent-Cole and Ilse Tromp. Tromp and Bent-Cole were Northwestern's second- and third-leading scorers this year, with 11 and ten goals respectively, and provided nearly half of Northwestern's offense during the second half of the season. They became the first pair of Wildcat first years to reach double-digit scoring in the same season since 1982 and were two of just five first years in the conference to score ten or more this year
On top of an already impressive awards haul this season, the 'Cats added a few more accolades at the conclusion of their season; Bent-Cole, Halsey and Lauren Wadas were all named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team after Sunday's game. It was the second career selection for Wadas and the first for both Halsey and Bent-Cole.
The game was a battle of field hockey's best that stayed neck-and-neck throughout. Both teams' defenses dominated in the first half, and both sides entered the break still scoreless.
UNC broke through first on a penalty corner opportunity at the start of the third, but Northwestern struck quickly back. Peyton Halsey converted on a penalty stroke with a little over a minute left in the period to even the game at one apiece.
That's where the score would stay through the end of regulation and both overtime periods, as both goalkeepers made plays to keep their teams in the fight. It was still a 1-1 game as the second OT concluded, sending the championship to a shootout.
The Wildcats got off to an early advantage as they made both of their first two shots while Annabel Skubisz blocked one of North Carolina's. After the first five strokes, however, both teams had still made just two shots. On the sixth stroke, North Carolina converted where Northwestern couldn't, and the 'Cats fell just one game shy of their second title in two years.
Despite the loss, the 'Cats' 2023 season was one of the best in program history. Northwestern entered the championship on a program-record 21-game win streak, setting a new high for victories in a single season. Fuchs' team went undefeated on the road for the first time in program history, helping them to a single-season-best .913 winning percentage overall.
The team also featured several individual record-setters, beginning with Skubisz. The senior keeper shut out 13 opponents - the most ever by a Northwestern player in a season - and helped the team to a national best 0.65 goals-against-average on the season.
Alia Marshall's 24 assists this year were one shy of tying the program record, and she completed her Wildcat career with 47 overall, ranking fourth in the record books. Halsey's stroke was her 13th goal of the season, and she'll finish off her time at Northwestern tied for 17th all-time in career points, with 86.
This season's success also came with the help of several newcomers, including first years Olivia Bent-Cole and Ilse Tromp. Tromp and Bent-Cole were Northwestern's second- and third-leading scorers this year, with 11 and ten goals respectively, and provided nearly half of Northwestern's offense during the second half of the season. They became the first pair of Wildcat first years to reach double-digit scoring in the same season since 1982 and were two of just five first years in the conference to score ten or more this year
On top of an already impressive awards haul this season, the 'Cats added a few more accolades at the conclusion of their season; Bent-Cole, Halsey and Lauren Wadas were all named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team after Sunday's game. It was the second career selection for Wadas and the first for both Halsey and Bent-Cole.
Team Stats
NU
NC
Goals
1
1
Shots
8
14
Shots on Goal
4
6
Saves
5
3
Corners
6
4
Offsides
0
0
Fouls
0
0
Scoring Plays
Charly Bruder (15)
Assisted By: Paityn Wirth , Romea Riccardo
direct to left post
32:33
Halsey,Peyton
NU Halsey,Peyton PENALTY STROKE GOAL.
43:41
Ryleigh Heck
80:00
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
1
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
1
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
F/M
/ Field HockeyM/F
/ Field Hockey
M/B
/ Field Hockey
GK
/ Field HockeyB/M
/ Field HockeyM
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