EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern field hockey secured a berth in this fall's NCAA tournament, earning one of the eight at-large bids for the program's third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
The 'Cats will head to Iowa City and face off against North Carolina on Friday, November 12 for a spot in the national quarterfinals.
This marks Northwestern's 17th tournament appearance in program history, as well as the fifth under head coach Tracey Fuchs. It also marks the first time the Wildcats have made three-consecutive tournaments since 1991.
The Wildcats head to the tournament boasting a 14-5 record, including a win over No. 1 Iowa on the road. Each of the Wildcats' four losses came by one goal, all against NCAA tournament qualifiers. Northwestern has earned nine wins over ranked opponents so far this season. The 'Cats also rank fourth in the nation in scoring margin, having scored at least six points in six contests.
Northwestern's offensive success has been fueled by First Team All-Big Ten honorees Bente Baekers and Maddie Zimmer, who posted 17 and seven goals on the seasons, respectively. This marks Baekers' third-consecutive Big Ten honors. She is second in the Big Ten in goals scored and sixth in the country in goals per game.
Kayla Blas also earned her third-consecutive all Big Ten honors making it to the second team. Blas is third in the Big Ten with a whopping 10 assists, in addition to her contributions on defense.
The Wildcats were one of seven Big Ten teams to make up the 18-team bracket. Entering Sunday night's selection show, the Big Ten boasted six of the top seven teams in the country in national RPI.