Penn State faces Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament first round. Northwestern will play the winner of Rutgers vs. Indiana. Photo: Penn State Athletics
Penn State’s 2-0 home upset of then-No. 1 Northwestern on October 30 lifted the Nittany Lions to No. 12 in the November 3 National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll.
The victory was Hannah Prince’s first over a No. 1-ranked team as a head coach.
The Nittany Lions now turn to a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal against No. 10 Iowa on November 4 at 5 p.m. EST in Columbus, Ohio.
The first half of the Northwestern game remained scoreless, with both teams working on both sides of the ball. With 3:14 left in the third quarter, the Nittany Lions converted their first penalty corner of the game.
A shot deflected by Northwestern goalkeeper Juliana Boon reached Cooper Cutchins’ stick. Cutchins collected the ball and sent it behind Boon for the first goal at 41:46. She was assisted by Ella Gaitan and Sienna Dunn.
Gaitan recorded two shots, both on goal, and an assist, bringing her regular-season totals to a team-leading 11 goals and 25 points, with three assists. Dunn’s assist raised her team-leading total to 14.
The Wildcats attempted to regain momentum, but the Lions continued to press and wouldn't allow them into their circle. Both Olivia Bent-Cole and Ashley Sessa had eyes on them, especially in scoring position.
The Nittany Lions were able to keep their biggest threats off the scoresheet.
Possession continued to switch hands, with Penn State dominating, until Northwestern was awarded a penalty corner. Shortly after, Penn State’s Morgan Snyder was assessed a 5-minute yellow card, sparking roars and grunts from the benches as well as the bleachers.
With 4:43 left in the game, Northwestern pulled Boon out to add an attacker, highlighting Penn State’s impressive pressure despite not being at full strength.
About two minutes later, the Nittany Lions were awarded a penalty corner. The Wildcats requested a review of the play, but the call stood.
Taking advantage of the empty net, defender Lilly Holmes scored her first goal of the season at 57:56, assisted by Cam Standish, extending the lead to 2-0.
Aby Deverka stopped all seven Northwestern shots on goal for her eighth shutout of the season, bringing her save total to 67 and her career total to 205. She made one save in the first quarter and two in each of the remaining three quarters, helping Penn State win despite Northwestern’s 9-6 advantage in shots.
The Wildcats went 0-for-3 on penalty corners. Deverka earned her second Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season on November 2 after the victory snapped Northwestern’s 35-game conference winning streak.
In her first year at Penn State, Prince has led the Nittany Lions into the postseason with a record of 12-5, in comparison to their 2025 record of 7-10. Prince emphasized that the adjustments made have been both physical and mental.
The team has been working on "transitional plays, so maintaining possession and not having as many double turnovers," she said.
She pointed out that they made major defensive adjustments, including a “brand new press we threw at the girls,” which they “executed beautifully.”
Northwestern, the defending national champion, enters the postseason at 16-2, sharing the Big Ten regular-season title with Maryland. Northwestern fell to No. 2 in the November 3 poll, while Maryland moved to No. 1.
*Simmie Samra is a student-intern at Penn State University.
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