No. 2 Northwestern Hosts No. 9 Louisville in Season Opener

Sunday, August 27

Evanston, Ill.

2 p.m. CT

Northwestern

#9 Louisville

No. 2 Northwestern Hosts No. 9 Louisville in Season Opener

8/26/2023 11:37:00 AM | Field Hockey

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EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 2 Northwestern kicks off its 2023 campaign this weekend at Lakeside Field against No. 9 Louisville. Game time is slated for 2 p.m. CT and will be televised on Big Ten Plus.

Storylines

The Wildcats are ranked second in the nation in the preseason NFHCA Coaches Poll, which was released on Tuesday. Northwestern received 13 first-place votes and 914 points, trailing only defending national champion and top-ranked North Carolina.
The 'Cats had three student-athletes named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list on Wednesday: fifth-year Peyton Halsey and seniors Annabel Skubisz and Lauren Wadas. Both Skubisz and Wadas were named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team in 2022, while Halsey was named to the NFHCA All-West Second Team.
Head coach Tracey Fuchs announced the addition of Tristan Clemons to the coaching staff on Thursday. Clemons, who is now an assistant coach for the 'Cats, served as a volunteer assistant on Fuchs' staff for three seasons, most recently during the 2021 spring season. Clemons, a successful goaltender for the Australian Men's Hockey Team, will work with Northwestern's goalkeepers this season.
Northwestern returns four players who received NFHCA All-West Region team honors last season: Wadas, Halsey, Skubisz and fifth-year Alia Marshall. Overall, the 'Cats return 60% of their minutes and 56% of their starts from 2022, along with 47% of their assists and 45% of their goals.

Matchup Information

Sunday's game marks the 12th all-time meeting between Northwestern and Louisville, a series the Cardinals lead 8-3.
This is the first meeting between the two programs since Sept. 16, 2018, when Louisville defended home turf against Northwestern, winning 1-0.
The programs famously matched up in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, with Northwestern claiming a 3-2 victory in overtime behind a game-winning goal from Puck Pentenga.
The 'Cats have won five of their last six season openers, including the last four straight.