With about a month remaining until the 2026 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament Presented by Allstate, three teams came through with key weekend sweeps while another pulled off a non-conference upset.
Sessa, Wildcats’ Attack Extend Streaks
After outscoring its opponents 11-1 over the weekend, No. 1 Northwestern extended its undefeated start to 12-0. The Wildcats have now scored five or more goals in four consecutive contests, led by nine tallies from both Ashley Sessa and Ilse Tromp this season.
But it was junior Nadia Nemeth who spurred the Wildcats past Ohio State in Columbus on Friday. The forward scored her first career brace en route to the 5-0 win, while Juliana Boon made three saves to record her eighth shutout of the season. On Sunday against No. 15 Michigan, Sessa’s hat trick carried the ‘Cats to their fifth ranked win of the season.
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Hoosiers’ Best Big Ten Start in 21 Years
On its own hot streak, No. 13 Indiana improved to 4-0 in Big Ten play (8-3 overall), good for its best conference start since 2005. On Friday, the Hoosiers topped Michigan State in a tight 1-0 contest following a clutch fourth-quarter score from Lily Freeman. The Crimson and Cream defense locked down in the second half, keeping the Spartans to one shot on goal.
Indiana went on to best Ohio State 2-1 on Sunday. Midfielder Sydney Meltzer put the Hoosiers ahead early before the Buckeyes equalized in the third quarter. It was Freeman again who came through for IU, burying a shot off a penalty corner. Sadie Canelli continued her incredible season in the cage, coming up with a critical save in the final minute to prevent overtime. Full story here.
Hawkeyes Come Up Clutch Across Pivotal Weekend
No. 6 Iowa came into this weekend at 1-1 in conference play, needing victories to stay near the top of the Big Ten title race. On Friday against No. 15 Michigan, the Hawkeyes took a first-half lead before the Wolverines knotted the score late in the fourth quarter to force overtime. That’s when fifth-year forward Fréderique van Cleef came through with the golden goal for the 2-1 win in Ann Arbor. Check out Iowa’s recap.
On Sunday in East Lansing, it was freshman Amber Millard-Smith and senior Dionne van Aalsum who played heroes. Michigan State led the Hawkeyes 3-2 at 49:00 in the fourth quarter. Three and a half minutes later, Millard-Smith found the back of the cage before van Aalsum buried the game-winning dagger with under five minutes remaining. Full story here.
Nittany Lions Pull off Overtime Upset
After notching its first Big Ten win of the season on Friday, Penn State pulled off its first ranked win of the Hannah Prince era, topping No. 19 Lafayette 3-2 in overtime on Sunday. After three scoreless quarters, both teams exploded for four goals in the fourth, with Olivia Marthins scoring twice in less than a minute for PSU. Cam Standish delivered the golden goal off a penalty corner at 10:30 in the extra period, assisted by Ella Gaitan and Sienna Dunn, to seal the Nittany Lions' first overtime win of the season.
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The action picks up again on Friday. Until then, check out the full weekend scoreboard.
Photo credit: gopsusports.com.