The defending champion Northwestern field hockey team would not be denied.

After trailing by as many as two goals in the first half, the Wildcats clawed back to defeat North Carolina, 4-3, on Friday, Nov. 21, in overtime and advance to the NCAA Division I championship. Northwestern will face Princeton on Sunday, Nov. 23, (1 p.m. ET, ESPU) at Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

Junior defender Ilse Tromp converted a penalty corner with less than a minute to go in regulation to send the game to overtime. Junior forward Ashley Sessa scored the winner to help Northwestern back to the title game for fifth consecutive season.

Princeton defeated Ivy League rival Harvard, 2-0, in the first semifinal. Caitlin Thompson and Anna Faulstich scored for Princeton, which advances to the finals for the first time since 2019. Both Princeton and Harvard had three shots on goal in the match.

Division I field hockey finals: TV, streaming

  • Date: Sunday, Nov. 23
  • Time: Northwestern vs. No. 2 Princeton, 1 p.m. ET
  • Location: Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium, Duke University, (Durham, North Carolina)
  • TV: ESPNU
  • Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited

Stream the field hockey championships with ESPN Unlimited

2025 NCAA field hockey bracket

Opening round

  • Saint Joseph's 2, Drexel 0
  • Fairfield 1, Boston University. 0

First round

  • No. 1 North Carolina 2, Saint Joseph's 1
  • No. 2 Princeton 3, Fairfield 1
  • No. 3 Harvard 8, New Hampshire 2
  • Miami (OH) 2, No. 4 Virginia 1
  • Duke 2, Iowa 1
  • Northwestern 5, Yale 1
  • UConn 2, Wake Forest 0
  • Syracuse 3, Liberty 2 (SO)

Quarterfinals

  • No. 1 North Carolina 2, Duke 1
  • No. 2 Princeton 2, Syracuse 1
  • No. 3 Harvard 1, UConn 0
  • Northwestern 3, Miami (OH) 2

Semifinals

  • No. 3 Harvard vs. No. 2 Princeton, 12 p.m. ET, Friday, Nov. 21 (ESPNU)
  • Northwestern vs. No. 1 North Carolina, 2:30 p.m. ET, Friday Nov. 21 (ESPNU)

Championship game

Winners of the semifinals, 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Nov. 23 (ESPNU)

Division 1 field hockey champions

2024 Northwestern (22-1) 5-0 Saint Joseph's
2023 North Carolina (18-3) 2-1 Northwestern
2022 North Carolina (21-0) 2-1 Northwestern
2021 Northwestern (18-5) 2-0 Liberty
2020 North Carolina (19-1) 4-3 Michigan
2019 North Carolina (23-0) 6-1 Princeton
2018 North Carolina (23-0) 2-0 Maryland
2017 Connecticut (23-0) 2-1 Maryland
2016 Delaware (23-2) 3-2 North Carolina
2015 Syracuse (21-1) 4-2 North Carolina
2014 Connecticut (20-3) 1-0 Syracuse
2013 Connecticut (21-4) 2-0 Duke
2012 Princeton (20-1) 3-2 North Carolina
2011 Maryland (19-4) 3-2 (OT) North Carolina
2010 Maryland (23-1) 3-2 (2 OT) North Carolina
2009 North Carolina (20-2) 3-2 Maryland
2008 Maryland (22-2) 4-2 Wake Forest
2007 North Carolina (24-0) 3-0 Penn State
2006 Maryland (23-2) 1-0 Wake Forest
2005 Maryland (23-2) 1-0 Duke
2004 Wake Forest (20-3) 3-0 Duke
2003 Wake Forest (22-1) 3-1 Duke
2002 Wake Forest (20-2) 2-0 Penn State
2001 Michigan (18-5) 2-0 Maryland
2000 Old Dominion (25-1) 3-1 North Carolina
1999 Maryland (24-1) 2-1 Michigan
1998 Old Dominion (23-2) 3-2 Princeton
1997 North Carolina (20-3) 3-2 Old Dominion
1996 North Carolina (23-1) 3-0 Princeton
1995 North Carolina (24-0) 5-1 Maryland
1994 James Madison (20-3-1) 2-1 (2 OT)* North Carolina
1993 Maryland (21-3) 2-1 (2 OT)* North Carolina
1992 Old Dominion (25-0) 4-0 Iowa
1991 Old Dominion (26-0) 2-0 North Carolina
1990 Old Dominion (23-2-1) 5-0 North Carolina
1989 North Carolina (20-2) 2-1 (3 OT)* Old Dominion
1988 Old Dominion (26-1) 2-1 Iowa
1987 Maryland (18-4-1) 2-1 (OT) North Carolina
1986 Iowa (19-2-1) 2-1 (2 OT) New Hampshire
1985 Connecticut (19-2) 3-2 Old Dominion
1984 Old Dominion (23-0) 5-1 Iowa
1983 Old Dominion (23-0) 3-1 (3 OT) Connecticut
1982 Old Dominion (20-1) 3-2 Connecticut
1981 Connecticut (15-2-3) 4-1 Massachusetts

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Northwestern claws back, will face Princeton in field hockey title game

Reporting by Heather Burns, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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