No. 11 Indiana field hockey will face its biggest test of the season when it hosts No. 2 Northwestern, the two-time defending national champion, at 3 p.m. Friday at Deborah Tobias Field in Bloomington.
The Wildcats won the 2025 NCAA national championship and held the No. 1 spot in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll for seven consecutive weeks before suffering their first loss of the season against Princeton University on Oct. 11. It was a 2-1 overtime defeat that moved Northwestern to No. 2 in the country.
Indiana enters the matchup 9-3 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play, riding a four-game winning streak. The Hoosiers most recently defeated Ohio University 5-0 on Oct. 11.
Indiana's recent success has come on both ends of the field. The Hoosiers have won their last four games by a combined 9-1 margin and have held every opponent to two goals or fewer this season.
Northwestern, meanwhile, has shown why it’s spent much of the season ranked No. 1. The Wildcats are 13-1 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play, with wins against six ranked opponents. The Hoosiers have beaten two ranked opponents.
Despite the loss to Princeton, Northwestern controlled much of the game, outshooting the Tigers 16-11 and earning 14 penalty corners to Princeton’s six. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the third quarter but conceded a goal on a penalty stroke with 1:13 remaining in the fourth quarter before losing in overtime.
Northwestern has outscored its opponents 46-9 this season, averaging 3.3 goals per game while allowing fewer than one. The Wildcats have also outshot their opponents 275-118, averaging 19.6 shots per game compared to 8.4 for their opponents. Northwestern has earned 131 penalty corners while allowing just 61.
Senior forward Ashley Sessa leads the Wildcats with 11 goals and eight assists in 12 games. Sessa is a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and two-time first-team All-American. She represented the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics and earned a spot on the 2025 NCAA All-Tournament Team. Senior back/midfielder Ilse Tromp ranks second with nine goals and leads Northwestern with 55 shots in 14 games. Senior forward Olivia Bent-Cole has added five goals and seven assists in 12 games.
Northwestern is led by 17-year head coach Tracey Fuchs, the winningest coach in program history. Since taking over in 2009, Fuchs has led the Wildcats to three national championships in 2021, 2024 and 2025, along with four Big Ten titles. Northwestern went 22-1 last season, winning both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships. Fuchs and her staff also earned their third consecutive NFHCA National Coaching Staff of the Year award in 2025.
If Indiana wants to win against the Wildcats, it will need to maintain its defensive consistency against an offense that averages 3.3 goals per game. The Hoosiers have allowed just one goal during their four-game winning streak, but Northwestern presents a different challenge with its high shot volume and ability to generate penalty corners.
Indiana hosts Northwestern at 3 p.m. Friday at Deborah Tobias Field, with coverage available on Big Ten+.
Follow reporter Jack Davis (@JackDavis0006 and jjd5@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana field hockey season.
