STANFORD, Calif. — The No. 1 Northwestern field hockey team opened its three-game West Coast swing with a 3-1 victory over Stanford on Thursday evening at the Stanford Varsity Field Hockey Turf.
The Wildcats (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten) posted a trio of second-half goals to defeat the Cardinal (6-1, 0-0 ACC). Head Coach Tracey Fuchs has now won her past 18 true road games, a streak dating back to Sept. 13, 2024.
Olivia Bent-Cole led all scorers with three points (one goal, one assist). Ella Kokinis and Ilse Tromp each scored a goal in the win. Ashley Sessa recorded a game-high two assists, while Bent-Cole and Piper Borz both added a helper.
Juliana Boon recorded six saves to earn her seventh victory of the season. Boon has accumulated 20 stops in her past three games played.
Northwestern outshot the hosts 5-1 in the opening 15 minutes, but three Anya Jackson saves for the Cardinal kept the game scoreless.
Both teams had their share of scoring opportunities in the second quarter, but each back line held firm as the first half ended in a 0-0 tie. Boon posted five first-half saves — four of which came in the second quarter — to lead the ’Cats' shot-stopping effort.
After the halftime break, an early defensive battle soon flipped on its head.
Just 56 seconds into the third quarter, Summer Knight-Thompson gave the Cardinal a 1-0 lead. However, Bent-Cole provided a near-instant response, netting her second goal of the season in the match’s 32nd minute. Borz provided her fourth assist of the 2026 campaign on Bent-Cole’s equalizer.
Kokinis buried the go-ahead goal with just over six minutes to play in the third quarter, giving Northwestern a 2-1 advantage. Sessa dished out the assist on Kokinis’ tally.
After the Wildcats drew their first fourth-quarter penalty corner in the match’s 57th minute, Tromp delivered the dagger off Sessa’s insert and Bent-Cole’s feed. Tromp, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, converted her team-high fifth goal of the year on the play.
Northwestern will travel to Davis, Calif., to face No. 18 Cal on Saturday, Sept. 19. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.