Friday, September 5
Durham, N.C.
5 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Duke
Photo by: mm_snips
Wildcats Set to Face #5 Duke, #8 Boston College
9/4/2025 12:44:00 PM | Field Hockey
EVANSTON, Ill. - After notching two shutout wins on the road to open the season, the No. 1 Northwestern field hockey team (2-0) continues its east coast travels this weekend with a pair of top-10 matchups. The Wildcats will face No. 5 Duke (1-1) and No. 8 Boston College (2-0) in Durham, N.C., for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
NU takes on the Blue Devils on Friday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. CT, and the Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. CT. Both games will be held at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium, and will be broadcast on ACC Network.
The Friday meeting with Duke will mark the 17th all-time between programs, with the series even at 8-8. Northwestern has won five straight against the Blue Devils, including the last meeting in Durham, a 3-0 victory in 2021. The pair met for the first time in 1996.
With 20 games of history against the Eagles, the 'Cats lead the all-time series 16-4. Meeting for the first time in 1985, their most recent matchup was a 1-0 victory for NU in 2024. The Wildcats have won the last three games against Boston College.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Duke concluded its 2024 campaign with an 13-7 (.650) record. The Blue Devils' season ended in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, falling 3-0 to #1 UNC. Their final National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) ranking of the season was No. 9. Duke's 2025 squad features five NFHCA Preseason Watchlist honorees in Madison Beach, Paige Bitting, Julia Boehringer, Macy Szukics and Alaina McVeigh.
Scouting the Eagles
Boston College concluded its 2024 campaign with an 14-7 (.667) record. The Eagles' season ended in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, falling to Princeton, 1-0. They concluded the season at No. 7 in the NFHCA rankings. BC returns NFHCA Northeast Regional honorees Charlotte Kramer, Eva Kluskens and Madelieve Drion for the 2025 season.
Northwestern Notables
Northwestern now boasts a 39-2 record (.951 winning percentage) in regular season non-conference play since 2021. NU enters the 2025 season with three returning NFHCA All-Americans in Ashley Sessa, Ilse Tromp and Maddie Zimmer.
Starting their season on the road, the Wildcats went 2-0 in Richmond for their opening weekend at Richmond (W, 4-0) and VCU (W, 3-0). NU notched two shutouts, recording its first consecutive shutouts to open a season since 2011. The Wildcats' defense was dominant at VCU, allowing only one shot by the Rams, the fewest by a Wildcat opponent since a 5-0 victory over Kent State on October 20, 2019.
Aerin Krys led the 'Cats offense in the Richmond weekend, tallying five points between two goals and an assist. Graduate transfer and two-time All-Ivy forward Grace Schulze had an immediate impact in her first game with NU, scoring two goals against Richmond. Juliana Boon made her collegiate debut, and became the first goalkeeper for Northwestern to record two shutouts in her first three starts or less since Anna Kalfas in 2017.
The 'Cats added seven newcomers in the off-season, including transfer talents Kate Janssen, Kerry McCormick and Schulze from Delaware, Old Dominion and Princeton respectively.
After claiming their second national championship in four years, and eighth Big Ten regular season title, the 'Cats look ahead to attack their 2025 slate. Over half of Northwestern's 2025 opponents appear in NFHCA preseason rankings.
The 2025 captains for Northwestern are Greta Hinke, Krys and Zimmer.
NFHCA Preseason Ranking: No. 1. The Aug. 26 ranking comes in as Northwestern's first unanimous preseason No. 1 from the NFHCA. It is the third season in the past four years (2022, 2024) that the 'Cats topped the poll heading into regular season competition. The Wildcats spent six weeks in the No. 1 spot last season en route to winning the program's third national title.
Preseason Watchlists: Sessa, Tromp and Zimmer appear on the Big Ten Players to Watch list. Hinke, Laura Salamanca, Schulze, Sessa, Tromp and Zimmer were tabbed for the 2025 NFHCA DI Watch List.
NU takes on the Blue Devils on Friday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m. CT, and the Eagles on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. CT. Both games will be held at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium, and will be broadcast on ACC Network.
The Friday meeting with Duke will mark the 17th all-time between programs, with the series even at 8-8. Northwestern has won five straight against the Blue Devils, including the last meeting in Durham, a 3-0 victory in 2021. The pair met for the first time in 1996.
With 20 games of history against the Eagles, the 'Cats lead the all-time series 16-4. Meeting for the first time in 1985, their most recent matchup was a 1-0 victory for NU in 2024. The Wildcats have won the last three games against Boston College.
Scouting the Blue Devils
Duke concluded its 2024 campaign with an 13-7 (.650) record. The Blue Devils' season ended in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, falling 3-0 to #1 UNC. Their final National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) ranking of the season was No. 9. Duke's 2025 squad features five NFHCA Preseason Watchlist honorees in Madison Beach, Paige Bitting, Julia Boehringer, Macy Szukics and Alaina McVeigh.
Scouting the Eagles
Boston College concluded its 2024 campaign with an 14-7 (.667) record. The Eagles' season ended in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, falling to Princeton, 1-0. They concluded the season at No. 7 in the NFHCA rankings. BC returns NFHCA Northeast Regional honorees Charlotte Kramer, Eva Kluskens and Madelieve Drion for the 2025 season.
Northwestern Notables
Northwestern now boasts a 39-2 record (.951 winning percentage) in regular season non-conference play since 2021. NU enters the 2025 season with three returning NFHCA All-Americans in Ashley Sessa, Ilse Tromp and Maddie Zimmer.
Starting their season on the road, the Wildcats went 2-0 in Richmond for their opening weekend at Richmond (W, 4-0) and VCU (W, 3-0). NU notched two shutouts, recording its first consecutive shutouts to open a season since 2011. The Wildcats' defense was dominant at VCU, allowing only one shot by the Rams, the fewest by a Wildcat opponent since a 5-0 victory over Kent State on October 20, 2019.
Aerin Krys led the 'Cats offense in the Richmond weekend, tallying five points between two goals and an assist. Graduate transfer and two-time All-Ivy forward Grace Schulze had an immediate impact in her first game with NU, scoring two goals against Richmond. Juliana Boon made her collegiate debut, and became the first goalkeeper for Northwestern to record two shutouts in her first three starts or less since Anna Kalfas in 2017.
The 'Cats added seven newcomers in the off-season, including transfer talents Kate Janssen, Kerry McCormick and Schulze from Delaware, Old Dominion and Princeton respectively.
After claiming their second national championship in four years, and eighth Big Ten regular season title, the 'Cats look ahead to attack their 2025 slate. Over half of Northwestern's 2025 opponents appear in NFHCA preseason rankings.
The 2025 captains for Northwestern are Greta Hinke, Krys and Zimmer.
NFHCA Preseason Ranking: No. 1. The Aug. 26 ranking comes in as Northwestern's first unanimous preseason No. 1 from the NFHCA. It is the third season in the past four years (2022, 2024) that the 'Cats topped the poll heading into regular season competition. The Wildcats spent six weeks in the No. 1 spot last season en route to winning the program's third national title.
Preseason Watchlists: Sessa, Tromp and Zimmer appear on the Big Ten Players to Watch list. Hinke, Laura Salamanca, Schulze, Sessa, Tromp and Zimmer were tabbed for the 2025 NFHCA DI Watch List.
Players Mentioned
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/ Field HockeyField Hockey - Wildcats Down Duke 1-0 (9/5/25)
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