‘Cats Set to Face No. 1 Maryland in Big Ten Tournament Championship

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 1-seeded Northwestern field hockey team will take on No. 2-seeded Maryland in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament Championship game on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m. CT. The matchup between the top-two ranked teams in the nation will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.

Northwestern (17-2, 7-1 Big Ten) advanced to Sunday’s championship game after shutting out No. 5-seeded Indiana 3-0 in Friday’s semifinals. Meanwhile, Maryland (18-1, 7-1 Big Ten) took down Iowa 4-1, setting the stage for a rematch of Oct. 22’s regular-season game where Northwestern defeated Maryland 4-2.

The Wildcats are seeking their second-consecutive Big Ten Tournament Championship, and fourth overall, on Sunday. With a win, they would also secure the Big Ten’s automatic qualifying spot for the NCAA Tournament.

• Maryland advances to the championship game following a 4-1 win over Iowa, a contest where Babs Van Hest led the Terrapins with two goals.
• Northwestern and Maryland are the only two teams to have taken the top spot in the National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association (NFHCA) rankings in 2026. Northwestern held the top spot for nine weeks, including the first eight weeks of the season, while Maryland has been ranked No. 1 for three weeks (including this past week).
• The ‘Cats and the Terrapins shared the 2026 Big Ten Regular-Season title, as both teams posted conference-leading 7-1 records in Big Ten play.
• The last time Northwestern and Maryland faced off, on Oct. 22, the Wildcats upset the Terrapins 4-2 to reclaim the top spot in the NFHCA polls. The match remains Maryland’s only loss in 2026.
• Against Maryland in the Oct. 22 contest, Olivia Bent-Cole led Northwestern with three goals, helping her team out of 0-1 and 1-2 deficits. The performance was Bent-Cole’s first career hat-trick and earned her NFHCA Offensive Player of the Week honors.
• Northwestern holds a 19-19 all-time record against Maryland, and has not lost to the Terrapins since 2022. The ‘Cats are also 2-0 all-time against Maryland in Big Ten Tournament title games, defeating the Terrapins in 2014 and 2023. In the 2023 matchup, Bent-Cole scored the game-winning goal in double overtime.
• Maryland is seeking its first Big Ten Tournament championship since 2018, when it defeated Iowa 2-1 at Northwestern’s Lakeside Field. The Terrapins have two total titles, ranking sixth in the conference all-time. Meanwhile, Northwestern ranks fifth with three, one spot above Maryland.
• The Terrapins are led by Big Ten Goalie of the Year Alyssa Klebasko, who posted a 0.87 goals-against average and a .797 save percentage alongside five shutouts in 2026. Northwestern and Maryland sport the last two Big Ten Goalies of the Year, with NU keeper Juliana Boon winning the honor in 2026.
• Maryland’s Ella Beach won Big Ten Freshman of the Year after recording four goals and seven assists in 2026. She also earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors, alongside Francisca Eschoyez, Josie Hollamon, Babs Van Hest and Klebasko. Van Hest leads the team in points with 12 goals and 13 assists, while Second-Team All-Big Ten honoree Maci Bradford tops the assist leaderboard with 17.
• Northwestern and Maryland are the only two teams to earn Big Ten individual postseason honors. Northwestern’s Ashley Sessa won Big Ten Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, while Ilse Tromp won Defensive Player of the Year. The ‘Cats’ Tracey Fuchs, Georgia Holland and Will Byrne won Coaching Staff of the Year.

Northwestern goalkeeper Juliana Boon was the standout performer for the ‘Cats in Friday’s semifinal, tallying a single-game career high of eight saves against No. 5-seeded Indiana. She made six of those saves in the first half — when Northwestern was either tied with Indiana or up by just one goal — to help her team stay competitive when the game was still tightly contested.

First-year Raquel Hofmeister had a breakout performance on Friday, recording the fourth goal of her collegiate career. The Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection stepped up to score NU’s first goal of the game off a drag-flick attempt and tallied a game-high four shots.

Another All-Freshman honoree, midfielder Kiera Sack, was a standout defensively against the Hoosiers — blocking shots on two consecutive defensive penalty corners. She helped the ‘Cats successfully defend all nine of Indiana’s corner attempts.

Ashley Sessa led NU in points on Friday with a goal and an assist, while Olivia Bent-Cole also scored a goal. Bent-Cole will be one to watch against the Terrapins in particular, after recent offensive success against Maryland. The senior forward notched a hat trick against the team in October and the game-winner in the most recent NU-UMD Big Ten Tournament contest and title game.

NFHCA Week 10 Ranking: No. 2. Northwestern dropped to the No. 2 spot after a loss to Penn State on Oct. 30, with Maryland moving back to No. 1. The ‘Cats spent eight weeks this season in the top spot of the polls, and previously ranked No. 2 during the weeks of Oct. 13 and Oct. 20. They received two first-place votes compared to Maryland’s eight, while No. 3 University of Connecticut received one.