Northwestern Falls in Overtime at No. 10 Princeton

PRINCETON, N.J. - The No. 1 Northwestern field hockey team (12-1, 4-0 B1G) suffered its first loss of the 2026 season, falling 2-1 in overtime at No. 10 Princeton (8-4, 3-1 Ivy League) on Sunday.

The Wildcats held a 1-0 lead with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter, but were forced to overtime after conceding a late penalty stroke. Princeton’s Ella Cashman scored the game-winning goal in the 69th minute.

Despite the loss, Northwestern led several major statistical categories. It outshot Princeton 16-11 and drew 14 corners compared to Princeton’s six. In the third and fourth quarters, the shot differential was 11-2 in favor of the Wildcats. However, the Tigers dominated the overtime shot differential 6-0.

Northwestern’s lone goal came from senior back Kerry McCormick, who was assisted by fellow senior back Ilse Tromp. Princeton’s Pru Lindsey scored the penalty stroke for the hosts that forced overtime. In the cage, Tiger goalkeeper Olivia Caponiti recorded six saves.

The ‘Cats fended off two penalty corners from Princeton to begin the game. They then got an opportunity of their own in the fifth minute, when Tromp’s dragflick shot came off the right pipe. After 15 minutes of play, those were the only real scoring chances between both teams.

Northwestern pressured Princeton with four consecutive corners to begin the second quarter, but could not convert. The ‘Cats then stopped the Tigers’ best scoring chance of the day in the 23rd minute while a player down — Princeton’s Caitlin Thompson tried to finish Ottilie Skyes’ shot that bounced off Boon, but NU sophomore midfielder Jess Freedman swatted the ball out of the cage to earn a defensive save.

Princeton got one more opportunity in the 28th minute, when Anna Faulstich’s pass just missed an open Molly Nye. At halftime, the score was even at 0-0. 

Northwestern outshot Princeton 5-3 after 30 minutes and outcornered the Tigers 7-3. However, Princeton had three shots on goal compared to NU’s one.

Senior forward Ashley Sessa began the third quarter with an impressive solo effort, maneuvering past three Princeton defenders before Caponiti stopped her shot. The deadlock eventually broke in the 41st minute, when Northwestern drew five consecutive corners. On the fifth, McCormick deflected Tromp’s dragflick shot into the net. McCormick’s goal was the second of her season and career.

After a back-and-forth first half, the Wildcats dominated the Tigers in the third, outshooting them 7-0 with four shots on goal.

Northwestern continued to control the game in the fourth quarter, taking the first four shots of the field. Caponiti came out of the game with 2:20 left to play, and Faulstich capitalized on the field player advantage to draw a corner just over a minute later. 

That corner attempt led to a penalty stroke opportunity for the Tigers, which Lindsey used to tie the game up with 1:13 left to play. That goal ended up forcing overtime, with the score knotted up at 1-1 in regulation.

The game-winning goal for Princeton came at the hands of Cashman. On the Tigers’ second consecutive corner of the overtime period, the senior midfielder got her stick on a rebound and put a bow on her team’s 2-1 overtime win.

Northwestern’s loss in New Jersey snaps a 23-game win streak that extended to October 2025. Before Sunday, its most recent defeat also came at the hands of Princeton, who gave the ‘Cats their only loss of the 2025 season on Oct. 13, 2025.

Northwestern will return to Big Ten play with a road contest on Friday, Oct. 16, against No. 12 Indiana. Pass-back is slated for 2 p.m. CT and will be streamed on B1G+.