With the regular season coming to an end, Thursday will kick off the Big Ten field hockey conference tournament. Seven of the conference’s nine teams qualify, with No. 1-seed Northwestern receiving a first-round bye.
The tournament is being hosted in Indiana, with three games in the opening round, two semi-final games on Friday, and the championship game on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Six of the seven tournament teams are ranked, with No. 7-seed Ohio State being the lone team absent from the rankings.
No. 1-seed Northwestern looks to reclaim its crown
Coming in as the one seed and earning the first-round bye, Northwestern is undefeated in its eight games against Big Ten teams. Northwestern absolutely dominated those eight games. The Wildcats outscored their opponents 34-3, including a 7-0 thrashing of Ohio State and five-goal victories against Rutgers, Indiana and Michigan State. Northwestern will look to avenge its championship game loss from last season.
No. 2-seed Maryland plans to right the ship and return to dominance
Since joining the Big Ten for the 2014 season, Maryland has won six of 11 Big Ten tournament championships, but the Terps have only won once over the past five years. Despite having an inconsistent season, especially on the offensive side of the ball, Maryland has beaten three of the four other teams in the top five of the Big Ten. The Terps are also the only Big Ten team to hold Northwestern to under three goals, with the 2-1 final score being the closest of any of the Wildcats’ conference matchups. Coming off a 4-0 win over Northeastern, Maryland looks to ride a newfound offensive spark coming into the postseason.
No. 3-seed Iowa started slow, but has become hot
After starting 1-3 in Big Ten play, the Hawkeyes have become one of the hottest teams in the country, winning four straight. Iowa’s first-round matchup against Indiana will mark the third time this season the two teams have faced off. Iowa took home the win in both matchups and will look to make it a third. Leading the way for Iowa is the NCAA goals per game leader Dionne Van Aalsum, who averages 1.62 goals per contest. Van Aalsum will look to lead the Hawkeyes to a 17th Big Ten championship.
No. 4-seed Michigan started hot, but looks to break its sluggish end to the regular season
Unlike Iowa, Michigan has faltered down the stretch as the Wolverines enter the postseason. Michigan has lost three of its last four games, including a three-game losing streak before a win in the Wolverines’ regular-season finale. After only scoring one goal over the course of the losing streak, Michigan bounced back with a three-goal performance against Indiana as the Wolverines look to get the offense going in postseason play. To make a run, Michigan will have to do something they have not done all season and win a Big Ten game away from home.
No. 5-seed Rutgers eyes its first-ever conference tournament championship
Rutgers has also been struggling lately, losing four of its last six games. The Scarlet Knights have especially struggled against higher competition. Rutgers is 2-8 against currently ranked teams, and winless against teams ranked in the top 15. Coming off a 4-2 win over Penn State to close out the regular season, the Scarlet Knights will look to build momentum entering the postseason. Rutgers will try and turn it around as they look to win the program’s ever conference tournament.
No. 6-seed Indiana would like to defend home field and shock the Big Ten
Hosting the tournament, Indiana will get the advantage of playing any game at home. The Hoosiers looked like they wouldn’t make it to the tournament, as they started off 0-3 in Big Ten play. A shootout win over Maryland flipped the script of the season, sparking a four-game winning streak that pushed them up to as high as No. 17 in the rankings. A loss in the regular season finale against Michigan brought the Hoosiers back down to earth, but the hometown team will try and make a push for its first Big Ten title.
No. 7-seed Ohio State looks to play spoiler as the lowest seed in the tournament.=
It’s been a rollercoaster season for Ohio State, but as of late, it’s been all bad. The Buckeyes followed up a four-game winning streak by losing their last four games of the season. Ohio State will face off against Maryland, a team the Buckeyes beat 2-1 in overtime earlier in the season. The win against the Terps helped jumpstart the Buckeyes’ surge up to 12 in the rankings, but Ohio State has since fallen out of the rankings.
