Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan State
NU to Close Regular Season at Michigan State
10/30/2025 4:19:00 PM | Field Hockey
EVANSTON, Ill. - With its third-straight Big Ten title secured, the No. 2 Northwestern field hockey team is headed to East Lansing, Mich., to conclude its regular-season schedule at Michigan State. The Wildcats (15-1, 7-0 Big Ten) look to notch their eighth conference win to cap the regular-season undefeated in Big Ten play.
The Wildcats and Spartans (5-11, 1-6 Big Ten) are set for a 2 p.m. CT pass-back Friday at Ralph Young Field on B1G+. With a one-game weekend, Northwestern will then look ahead to the conference tournament next weekend in Bloomington, Ind. After clinching the regular-season championship, the 'Cats have already claimed the No. 1 seed in pursuit of the Big Ten Tournament crown.
Scouting the Spartans
NU leads the all-time series against Michigan State 46-23. The 'Cats have also beaten the Spartans in 13 consecutive meetings, dating back to 2011. In their last matchup, Northwestern shut out Michigan State, 5-0, in East Lansing in October of 2024.
Entering Friday's content, the Michigan State Spartans have lost eight of their last 10 games. The Spartans averaged 0.7 goals per game and allowed 3.3 goals per game during that 10-game stretch. On the season, they are scoring 1.81 goals per game (No. 8 in the Big Ten) and are allowing 3.19 goals per game (No. 9 in the Big Ten).
MSU's defense is No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 17 nationally in saves per game (6.75). Junior Spartans goalkeeper Lyra Gavino also individually leads the conference in saves per game (6.27).
Sophomore back Caro Schafer leads the team with 12 points, and junior forward Bianca Pizano has scored a team-high five goals.
Northwestern Notables
Two days after No. 2 Northwestern field hockey secured its third consecutive Big Ten regular-season title, the squad returned to Lakeside Field with a dominant 7-0 win over No. 18 Ohio State. Behind two goals apiece from junior forwards Ashley Sessa and Olivia Bent-Cole, the Wildcats earned an emphatic victory against the Buckeyes in their penultimate regular-season conference clash.
Graduate student forward Grace Schulze, senior back Maja Zivojnovic and redshirt junior forward Aerin Krys, who were each honored on Sunday for Senior Day, added tallies in Northwestern's victory. It was NU's most prolific scoring performance since Oct. 20, 2024, against UC Davis.
With 50 saves through her first 16 collegiate starts, redshirt first-year 'Cats goalkeeper Juliana Boon leads the Big Ten and is No. 2 in the nation in goals against average (0.51). She has allowed just eight goals on the year, is third in the country in goalie win-loss percentage (0.933) and is No. 2 in the NCAA in save percentage (0.862).
Three NU starters are in the top 10 in the Big Ten in points per game: Sessa (No. 2 - 2.87 points per game), Ilse Tromp (No. 5 - 1.50), and Schulze (No. 6 - 1.44).
The 2025 captains for Northwestern are Krys, Greta Hinke and Maddie Zimmer.
After posting an eight-point weekend, Sessa earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. She was also named NFHCA Offensive Player of the Week, the third Wildcat to bring in national recognition this year, and for her, for the third time in two seasons. The junior forward logged three goals and two assists across the two Big Ten games at home last week.
???????????????? recognition for Sessa ??
The junior earns @NFHCA ?????????????????? ???????????? ???? ?????? ????????, for the 3??rd time in two seasons. ?? pic.twitter.com/JjCDwEPsOO— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) October 29, 2025
NFHCA Week Eight Ranking: No. 2. The Oct. 28 ranking listed Northwestern as the second-ranked team in the nation for the second consecutive week. The 'Cats reigned in the NFHCA poll for seven straight polls, which had not been done by any team since 2022. While now No. 2, the 'Cats are sharing first-place votes with No. 1 UNC.
