Sessa, Zimmer Guide NU Past Penn State, 4-0

October 10, 2025, Evanston, IL: A match between Northwestern Field Hockey and Penn State on Lakeside Field in Evanston, IL on Friday, October 10, 2025. (Photo by Michelle Nartey/Northwestern Athletics)

Photo by: Michelle Nartey/Northwestern Athletics

Sessa, Zimmer Guide NU Past Penn State, 4-0

10/10/2025 7:39:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Jake Epstein, NUSports.com

EVANSTON, Ill. — Behind seven combined points from Ashley Sessa and Maddie Zimmer, the No. 1 Northwestern field hockey team took down the Nittany Lions, 4-0, on Friday night. The Wildcats improved to 11-0 (3-0 Big Ten) with the home victory, after a well-rounded team effort to ward off Penn State (5-7, 1-4 Big Ten).

Northwestern's 2024 Paris Olympic stars Sessa and Zimmer aligned Friday evening under the Lakeside Field lights as the hosts defeated PSU in front of 451 fans.

Behind four points (two goals) from Sessa and Zimmer's three (one goal, one assist), the Wildcats picked up a convincing victory over the Nittany Lions. Graduate student Grace Schulze chipped in a late goal in the winning effort, her seventh of the year.

B1G team W. ?? pic.twitter.com/RRitLfZLPm
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) October 11, 2025

"Maddie was another level in the first half with her speed and ability to eliminate, and [Sessa] is a finisher," head coach Tracey Fuchs said. "It's a deadly combo when they're on, and today they were on, for sure."

While the Northwestern offense outshot the visitors 24-7, redshirt first-year goalkeeper Juliana Boon posted four saves to blank Penn State. With the clean sheet, the two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week collected her eighth career and season shutout.

Her seventh complete-game shutout of the year, Boon moved into a tie for the eighth most in a single season in program history.

"They're amazing — I thought [Boon] had one amazing save down there — but the whole lot of them to have eight shutouts, that's pretty impressive," Fuchs said. "We've been scored on very few times, [but] it's going to get tougher from here. We know that."

Fuchs said she emphasized setting an early tone against a stingy Nittany Lion defense. Sessa answered the call in emphatic fashion on Friday evening.

With just under nine minutes remaining in the first quarter, Piper Borz found Sessa inside the circle, and the junior buried the opening goal for Northwestern. Sessa doubled her tally on a transition score four minutes later, capitalizing on a Zimmer assist to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead at the first quarter's conclusion.

"Anytime a team can hold you for a while, they start to get their confidence," Fuchs said. "To get two in the first quarter, [I] was really happy about that."

Northwestern has held its opponents scoreless in 10 of its 11 first quarters this season.

When play resumed in the second quarter, Friday's faceoff flipped from fastbreak theatrics to a more measured midfield battle. Both defenses and netminders stood tall in the ensuing period, and chances proved at a premium in a goalless second frame.

Northwestern outshot the visitors 8-5 in the first 30 minutes of action, with Boon recording two first-half saves to keep Penn State off the board.

Following the intermission, Zimmer uncorked a long-range effort that flew beyond Nittany Lion goalkeeper Aby Deverka's grasp with 10:34 remaining in the third quarter. The goal marked Zimmer's third of the season.

"She's such a special player," Fuchs said of Zimmer, who tallied a season-high eight shots on Friday. "She has the ability to take it on her own or be a playmaker. I'm just happy I have her for another month and a half."

Northwestern built a 9-0 edge in shots during the first nine minutes of fourth-quarter action, but Deverka's heroics between the posts kept the hosts in check. On the 'Cats' fourth penalty corner of the quarter, Schulze knocked in a goal to extend the lead to 4-0.

"That kid's as scrappy as you get," Fuchs said of Schulze. "She's one of our feistiest players inside the circle. If she's on the ball, good things are going to happen."

After Schulze's effort, the Wildcat defense held firm to cement a 4-0 victory. Northwestern has amassed 11-0 starts in back-to-back seasons, with 22 wins in its past 23 games at Lakeside Field. The conference victory also marked 23-straight in Big Ten regular-season matchups.

The Wildcats will be back in action on Monday, Oct. 13, against Ivy League foe No. 8 Princeton at Lakeside Field. The game is slated for a 2 p.m. CT start, with streaming on B1G+.

"We're looking forward to the next two weeks to see if we can scrap out a few wins and really put ourselves to the test," Fuchs said.