Field Hockey Set for Weekend in Maine

Friday, September 8

Orono, Maine

1 p.m. CT

Northwestern

Maine

9/7/2023 4:41:00 PM | Field Hockey

Friday Live Stream Live Stats

EVANSTON, Ill. — The No. 3 Northwestern Wildcats will wrap up their week-long road trip this weekend as they look to extend their winning streak against Maine and UMass. Northwestern will take on the Black Bears at 1:00 p.m. CT on Friday and then face off with the Minutewomen on Saturday at noon CT.

Storylines

Northwestern takes a three-game winning streak into the weekend after beating Vermont 2-0 on Tuesday. The shutout was goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz' second of the season and 12th as a Wildcat. She has allowed just two scores over her last three games and has held opponents scoreless for seven consecutive quarters entering play on Friday, dating back to the second quarter against Duke last Sunday. The performance earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors from the conference, her third such award as a Wildcat.
The 'Cats are 2-1 against ranked teams this season after beating then-No. 17 Boston College and then-No. 20 Duke at the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in College Park, Maryland, last weekend. Their one loss came in the season opener against then-No. 9 Louisville.
The Wildcats have taken cues from their captains so far, including graduate student Peyton Halsey. After scoring the overtime game-winner against Boston College a week ago, Halsey opened scoring in the eleventh minute in Vermont with her second goal of the season. She is the first Northwestern player to score multiple goals this season.
First year Olivia Bent-Cole scored her first collegiate goal on Sunday and notched her first assist on Tuesday. Cole has been a major factor on offense for the 'Cats; her nine shots and six shots on goal are both second on the team to Maja Zivojnovic.
Head coach Tracey Fuchs announced the addition of Tristan Clemons to the coaching staff last week. 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.
The 'Cats had three student-athletes named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list last 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.

Matchup Information

The 'Cats will face the Black Bears for the second consecutive season after beating them 5-1 in last year's season opener. Friday's meeting will be the seventh all time between the two programs. Northwestern currently holds a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series.
This will mark Northwestern's second visit to Orono and their first since 2007. The last time the two teams faced off in Maine, the Black Bears came away with a 3-1 victory.
Northwestern is 3-5 against UMass all time, including a 4-1 victory in Amherst last season. The majority of the programs' meetings have been at neutral sites, and the 'Cats have gone 1-3 in those matchups.