Sessa’s Hat Trick Lifts NU to 6-1 Victory at No. 15 Michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -  Ashley Sessa and the No. 1 Northwestern field hockey team continued their offensive dominance on Sunday, posting a 6-1 victory at No. 15 Michigan.

The Wildcats (12-0, 3-0 Big Ten) posted their fourth consecutive contest scoring five or more goals, this time in a road win to take down the Wolverines (5-5, 1-3 Big Ten).

Sunday’s showing was also the ‘Cats' first ranked win against a Big Ten opponent this season, and their largest margin of victory over the historically competitive Wolverines since Oct. 23, 1994.

Senior forward Sessa led the way for the ‘Cats with a hat trick and an assist. The reigning back-to-back Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year earned her fourth career hat trick and tallied her ninth goal of the 2026 season with Sunday’s performance. She also scored her 54th and 55th career goals, passing Amy Kekeisen to rank fourth all-time in NU history for goals scored.

Senior forward Olivia Bent-Cole, senior back Ilse Tromp and junior midfielder Sol Martinez each scored goals as well. Junior goalkeeper Juliana Boon played most of the game but was subbed out for junior Faye Post towards the end of the fourth quarter. Boon, the nation’s save percentage and goals-against average leader, made three saves on three shots on goal.

Northwestern outshot Michigan 17-10 and drew eight corners compared to the Wolverines’ five. However, the real discrepancy came in shots on goal, where NU had 13 compared to Michigan’s four.

The first frame was scoreless, as scoring opportunities were rare to come for both teams. Just a combined two shots were generated in the opening 15 minutes — one from Bent-Cole that was blocked by Hala Silverstein and another by Sessa that went just wide.

In the second quarter, the two players who created chances for NU early were the ones who opened the floodgates.

Sessa scored the game’s first goal in the 19th minute, as she beat out Michigan’s Maxine Rogge in a 1v1 and shot the ball high past Silverstein. The ‘Cats then stopped the Wolverines’ first three shot attempts of the day in the next three minutes, including two corners.

In the 26th minute, Sessa scored her second, deflecting a shot from sophomore midfielder Laura Salamanca into the net after a quick reset following a penalty corner attempt. Bent-Cole made the score 3-0 less than three minutes later, firing a ball that Silverstein initially got to, but then let roll past her.

Powered by a dominant second quarter, Northwestern outshot Michigan 8-3 at halftime.

Neither team found many chances in the third quarter, but to end the frame in the 44th minute, Sessa struck the ball past Silverstein while falling onto the ground, earning a hat trick. The goal, which came on a penalty corner, was assisted by graduate student Aerin Krys.

In the final quarter, Martinez shot the ball three times on a corner in the 46th minute; the first two attempts were deflected off Silverstein, before the third one went in. Tromp added to the goal tally in the 52nd minute with her signature dragflick off a penalty corner. Michigan’s Kelsey Reviello scored a corner goal with a minute left, beating out Northwestern’s Post to prevent a shutout. However, the game was sealed by then with the ‘Cats running the clock out for a 6-1 win. 

Northwestern will return to Evanston for a top-10 matchup against No. 6 Iowa on Friday, Oct. 9. Pass-back is slated for 3 p.m. CT, with the game to be broadcast on Big Ten Network.