Coming out of its 12th victory of the season, the Northwestern field hockey team has secured its spot as the No. 5 team in the NCAA according to the latest NFCHA poll, which included four Big Ten teams in the top five.
After a strong non-conference start, the ‘Cats were ranked third in the country and thriving. However, once Big Ten played began, Northwestern failed to secure wins against three of its first four conference foes. A devastating double overtime loss to No. 2 Michigan brought the ‘Cats to a 9-4 record. After a 6-1 victory against Ball State, the team looked forward to its next two conference matchups against then-No.