Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, November 21
Durham, N.C.
1:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
North Carolina
NU Set to Face No. 1 Tar Heels in NCAA Semifinal
11/20/2025 4:58:00 PM | Field Hockey
DURHAM, N.C. - Ready for its fifth-straight NCAA semifinal appearance, the No. 2 Northwestern field hockey team is slated to take on top-ranked North Carolina on Friday afternoon. The Wildcats (20-1, 8-0 Big Ten) will meet the No. 1 Tar Heels (21-1, 7-1 ACC) at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU, in the pair's 13th ever matchup, and first in an NCAA semifinal.
The programs have combined to win the last seven NCAA Championships, and have shared first-place votes in the NFHCA rankings all season long. Fighting for a spot in the title game, the recent rivalry at the top meets for the first time since the 2023 championship.
NU enters the matchup on a nine-game win streak, leading the nation on both sides of the ball. Junior forward Ashley Sessa recently took the No. 1 spot in the NCAA in points per game (3.15), while redshirt first-year goalkeeper Juliana Boon leads the country in goals against average (.67).
Scouting the Tar Heels
NU is 5-6-1 all-time against North Carolina. The Wildcats and Tar Heels met in back-to-back NCAA Championship games in 2022 and 2023, with UNC gaining the edge 2-1 in both meetings. The 'Cats last took down North Carolina in a 2-0 first-round NCAA Tournament win in 2021.
UNC enters the Final Four bout on a 13-game winning streak. Its lone loss came in September in a 2-1 overtime loss to Wake Forest. The Tar Heels defeated Saint Joseph's and Duke, which was ranked No. 8 in the country at the end of the regular season, by a score of 2-1 en route to the Final Four.
Tar Heels forwards Ryleigh Heck and Charly Bruder made the All-ACC First Team this season. Heck (0.82 goals per game) and Bruder (0.90 goals per game) both ended the regular season in the Top 20 in the country in goals per game.
Graduate goalkeeper Katie Wimmer, who has split time in goal this postseason with freshman Merritt Skubisz, led the ACC in goalie win-loss percentage (0.933) and goals-against average (0.98).
NCAA Tournament History
The Wildcats are now 29-19 (.604) in the NCAA Tournament, participating in "the dance" in 21 seasons. NU is 4-4 in semifinal games and 4-0 when led by Coach Fuchs. In her eight prior tournament appearances, Fuchs and her coaching staff have coached NU to four-straight championship games (2021-24) and two titles (2021, 2024). Since 2021, Fuchs is 16-1-1 (tie was a shootout loss to UNC) in NCAA Tournament games. In the same stretch, the Wildcats are the only team to make multiple Final Four appearances as an unseeded team (2021, 2025).
UNC has made 16 of the last 18 NCAA semifinals. UNC has the most Final Four appearances in the sport (29). The 'Cats are 1-2 against the Tar Heels on the NCAA Tournament stage.
Northwestern Notables
Last Time Out: With the game tied heading into the final two minutes of regulation, graduate student Grace Schulze came up clutch for Northwestern yet again. Delivering a game-winning goal, the forward propelled the No. 2 Northwestern field hockey team to a 3-2 NCAA Tournament Second Round victory over No. 11 Miami (OH) at Turf Field on Sunday.
Schulze was joined by sophomore midfielder Laura Salamanca and junior midfielder Ella Kokinis, each scoring, as the Wildcats clinched their fifth consecutive Final Four appearance.
With 55 saves through her first 21 collegiate starts, redshirt first-year goalkeeper Boon leads the Big Ten and the nation in goals against average (0.67) and is fourth in the NCAA in save percentage (0.797). She has allowed 14 goals on the year, is second in the country in goalie win-loss percentage (0.944), and has been credited with 10 of NU's 12 shutouts.
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Sessa leads the NCAA in points per game (3.15), and continues to climb the NU leaderboards in scoring, recently reaching T-5th for career points, in just her second year as a Wildcat.
Northwestern is the only program in the nation with three players tallying 13+ assists. Sessa leads with 19, while Aerin Krys and Maddie Zimmer each have 13. Junior back Ilse Tromp has posted 30 points this season, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, while accomplishing the most by an NU back since 2017 (Kirsten Mansfield, 31 points). Tromp's 59 points in the 2024 and 2025 seasons are the most by a back in a two-year stretch since at least 2014.
The 2025 captains for Northwestern are Krys, Greta Hinke, and Zimmer.
Northwestern had an impressive showing in the Big Ten Postseason Awards. NU brought home five individual honors, as well as eight 'Cats being named to all-conference teams. Zimmer earned a unanimous selection for her second-straight Big Ten Player of the Year award, while Sessa and Tromp were named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. Coach Fuchs and her staff collected their third consecutive Big Ten Coaching Staff of the Year accolade, as the trio has led the 'Cats to three-straight outright regular season conference titles.
NFHCA Week Ten Ranking: No. 2. The Nov. 11 ranking listed Northwestern as the second-ranked team in the nation for the fourth consecutive week. The 'Cats reigned in the NFHCA poll for seven straight polls, which had not been done by any team since 2022. While now No. 2, the 'Cats are sharing first-place votes with No. 1 UNC.
With a win on Friday, NU would claim a spot in its fifth-straight NCAA Championship game. Earning the title in 2021 and 2024, the 'Cats look to attack back-to-back national championships. The final, slated for Sunday, Nov. 23 at noon CT, will be broadcast on ESPNU. Should Northwestern advance, it would take on the winner of the Princeton/Harvard semifinal.
The programs have combined to win the last seven NCAA Championships, and have shared first-place votes in the NFHCA rankings all season long. Fighting for a spot in the title game, the recent rivalry at the top meets for the first time since the 2023 championship.
Sent off in style! ????
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) November 19, 2025
Next stop: NCAA Final Four
?? Durham, N.C. pic.twitter.com/OMHy8xZkNU
NU enters the matchup on a nine-game win streak, leading the nation on both sides of the ball. Junior forward Ashley Sessa recently took the No. 1 spot in the NCAA in points per game (3.15), while redshirt first-year goalkeeper Juliana Boon leads the country in goals against average (.67).
Scouting the Tar Heels
NU is 5-6-1 all-time against North Carolina. The Wildcats and Tar Heels met in back-to-back NCAA Championship games in 2022 and 2023, with UNC gaining the edge 2-1 in both meetings. The 'Cats last took down North Carolina in a 2-0 first-round NCAA Tournament win in 2021.
UNC enters the Final Four bout on a 13-game winning streak. Its lone loss came in September in a 2-1 overtime loss to Wake Forest. The Tar Heels defeated Saint Joseph's and Duke, which was ranked No. 8 in the country at the end of the regular season, by a score of 2-1 en route to the Final Four.
Tar Heels forwards Ryleigh Heck and Charly Bruder made the All-ACC First Team this season. Heck (0.82 goals per game) and Bruder (0.90 goals per game) both ended the regular season in the Top 20 in the country in goals per game.
Graduate goalkeeper Katie Wimmer, who has split time in goal this postseason with freshman Merritt Skubisz, led the ACC in goalie win-loss percentage (0.933) and goals-against average (0.98).
NCAA Tournament History
The Wildcats are now 29-19 (.604) in the NCAA Tournament, participating in "the dance" in 21 seasons. NU is 4-4 in semifinal games and 4-0 when led by Coach Fuchs. In her eight prior tournament appearances, Fuchs and her coaching staff have coached NU to four-straight championship games (2021-24) and two titles (2021, 2024). Since 2021, Fuchs is 16-1-1 (tie was a shootout loss to UNC) in NCAA Tournament games. In the same stretch, the Wildcats are the only team to make multiple Final Four appearances as an unseeded team (2021, 2025).
UNC has made 16 of the last 18 NCAA semifinals. UNC has the most Final Four appearances in the sport (29). The 'Cats are 1-2 against the Tar Heels on the NCAA Tournament stage.
Northwestern Notables
Last Time Out: With the game tied heading into the final two minutes of regulation, graduate student Grace Schulze came up clutch for Northwestern yet again. Delivering a game-winning goal, the forward propelled the No. 2 Northwestern field hockey team to a 3-2 NCAA Tournament Second Round victory over No. 11 Miami (OH) at Turf Field on Sunday.
Schulze was joined by sophomore midfielder Laura Salamanca and junior midfielder Ella Kokinis, each scoring, as the Wildcats clinched their fifth consecutive Final Four appearance.
Claimed our trip to the Final Four with the 3-2 ?? ??
— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) November 17, 2025
>> semifinals on Friday.
?? Second Round vs Miami (OH) recap pic.twitter.com/NuNtE2Pw9S
With 55 saves through her first 21 collegiate starts, redshirt first-year goalkeeper Boon leads the Big Ten and the nation in goals against average (0.67) and is fourth in the NCAA in save percentage (0.797). She has allowed 14 goals on the year, is second in the country in goalie win-loss percentage (0.944), and has been credited with 10 of NU's 12 shutouts.
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Sessa leads the NCAA in points per game (3.15), and continues to climb the NU leaderboards in scoring, recently reaching T-5th for career points, in just her second year as a Wildcat.
Northwestern is the only program in the nation with three players tallying 13+ assists. Sessa leads with 19, while Aerin Krys and Maddie Zimmer each have 13. Junior back Ilse Tromp has posted 30 points this season, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, while accomplishing the most by an NU back since 2017 (Kirsten Mansfield, 31 points). Tromp's 59 points in the 2024 and 2025 seasons are the most by a back in a two-year stretch since at least 2014.
The 2025 captains for Northwestern are Krys, Greta Hinke, and Zimmer.
Northwestern had an impressive showing in the Big Ten Postseason Awards. NU brought home five individual honors, as well as eight 'Cats being named to all-conference teams. Zimmer earned a unanimous selection for her second-straight Big Ten Player of the Year award, while Sessa and Tromp were named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. Coach Fuchs and her staff collected their third consecutive Big Ten Coaching Staff of the Year accolade, as the trio has led the 'Cats to three-straight outright regular season conference titles.
NFHCA Week Ten Ranking: No. 2. The Nov. 11 ranking listed Northwestern as the second-ranked team in the nation for the fourth consecutive week. The 'Cats reigned in the NFHCA poll for seven straight polls, which had not been done by any team since 2022. While now No. 2, the 'Cats are sharing first-place votes with No. 1 UNC.
With a win on Friday, NU would claim a spot in its fifth-straight NCAA Championship game. Earning the title in 2021 and 2024, the 'Cats look to attack back-to-back national championships. The final, slated for Sunday, Nov. 23 at noon CT, will be broadcast on ESPNU. Should Northwestern advance, it would take on the winner of the Princeton/Harvard semifinal.
Players Mentioned
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