Northwestern University Athletics
Thursday, October 30
West Lafayette, Ind.
6:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
USC
Northwestern Faces USC in First Round of 2025 Big Ten Tournament
10/29/2025 3:33:00 PM | Women's Soccer
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — No. 7-seed Northwestern will open postseason play on Thursday night against 10-seed USC at Folk Field in the First Round of the 2025 Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on B1G+.
The Wildcats (8-3-7, 4-2-5 Big Ten) closed regular-season play on a four-match unbeaten streak, outscoring opponents 8-2 during that stretch.
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a 79th-minute goal from sophomore forward Kennedy Roesch, Northwestern rescued a 1-1 draw in its regular-season finale against No. 20 Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 26. With her equalizer, Roesch extended her team-high goals tally to nine.
The Wildcats are now 9-1-4 all-time in games when Roesch — the conference's second-leading goalscorer in 2025 — records a goal.
NORTHWESTERN NOTABLES
NU returns to the Big Ten Tournament for the 17th time in program history. Head coach Michael Moynihan is making his sixth conference tournament appearance and is 4-5-1 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament.
Tabbed 14th in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll, Northwestern finished the regular season tied for sixth in the conference table.
The 'Cats picked up points against four ranked opponents in their regular-season slate, their most in a single season since the 2022 campaign.
Northwestern has scored first in 13 of 18 games this season and is 8-1-4 in those games. On the other end, the Wildcats have recorded their most shutouts in a single season since 2022, with nine clean sheets.
First-year goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson leads the Big Ten and ranks ninth nationally with nine shutouts. She is fourth in program history in single-season shutouts and is tied for first among Wildcat first-years.
The Trojans (7-6-3, 4-5-2 Big Ten) closed conference play with consecutive draws against No. 5 Iowa and No. 18 UCLA.
Thursday will mark the second all-time matchup between the two squads. USC won the only prior meeting 2-1 on Oct. 13, 2024.
The Trojan offense averages 1.56 goals per game, a figure which ranks fourth in the Big Ten. Maribel Flores leads the Trojans with nine goals and 22 points. Goalkeeper Bella Grust, sister of former Wildcat Gabriella Grust, has played all but 19 minutes in net for USC this season, posting five shutouts.
NEXT UP
A win would vault the Wildcats into Sunday's quarterfinal round, where they'd face the No. 2-seed Michigan State. Sunday's quarterfinal at Folk Field is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on B1G+.
The Wildcats (8-3-7, 4-2-5 Big Ten) closed regular-season play on a four-match unbeaten streak, outscoring opponents 8-2 during that stretch.
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a 79th-minute goal from sophomore forward Kennedy Roesch, Northwestern rescued a 1-1 draw in its regular-season finale against No. 20 Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 26. With her equalizer, Roesch extended her team-high goals tally to nine.
The Wildcats are now 9-1-4 all-time in games when Roesch — the conference's second-leading goalscorer in 2025 — records a goal.
NORTHWESTERN NOTABLES
NU returns to the Big Ten Tournament for the 17th time in program history. Head coach Michael Moynihan is making his sixth conference tournament appearance and is 4-5-1 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament.
Tabbed 14th in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll, Northwestern finished the regular season tied for sixth in the conference table.
The 'Cats picked up points against four ranked opponents in their regular-season slate, their most in a single season since the 2022 campaign.
Northwestern has scored first in 13 of 18 games this season and is 8-1-4 in those games. On the other end, the Wildcats have recorded their most shutouts in a single season since 2022, with nine clean sheets.
First-year goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson leads the Big Ten and ranks ninth nationally with nine shutouts. She is fourth in program history in single-season shutouts and is tied for first among Wildcat first-years.
SCOUTING USCBig Ten Tournament BOUND ?? pic.twitter.com/58YYUPC9DS
— Northwestern Soccer (@NUWSoccer) October 29, 2025
The Trojans (7-6-3, 4-5-2 Big Ten) closed conference play with consecutive draws against No. 5 Iowa and No. 18 UCLA.
Thursday will mark the second all-time matchup between the two squads. USC won the only prior meeting 2-1 on Oct. 13, 2024.
The Trojan offense averages 1.56 goals per game, a figure which ranks fourth in the Big Ten. Maribel Flores leads the Trojans with nine goals and 22 points. Goalkeeper Bella Grust, sister of former Wildcat Gabriella Grust, has played all but 19 minutes in net for USC this season, posting five shutouts.
NEXT UP
A win would vault the Wildcats into Sunday's quarterfinal round, where they'd face the No. 2-seed Michigan State. Sunday's quarterfinal at Folk Field is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on B1G+.
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
F
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