Northwestern Shut Out Indiana 3-0, Maryland Beat Iowa 4-1 To Set Up Big Ten Final

Sunday’s Big Ten final is the one everyone wanted. Top seed Northwestern against No. 2 seed Maryland, the two best teams in the conference, after both won their semifinals in Columbus on Friday.

Northwestern were first up, and they were ruthless. The Wildcats beat No. 5 seed Indiana 3-0, a first ever Big Ten Tournament win over the Hoosiers, and they did it with a shutout behind a career-best day from keeper Juliana Boon.

Raquel Hofmeister opened it in the 22nd minute, scoring off a penalty corner with a drag flick near the post. Big Ten Player of the Year Ashley Sessa made it 2-0 in the 33rd, weaving through the Indiana defence before finishing with a diving shot. Olivia Bent-Cole sealed it in the 46th, her ninth goal of the year, set up by Sessa. Boon made a career-high eight saves for her 18th career shutout, and Northwestern’s ninth shutout of the season. Indiana actually had more shots and corners at half-time, but they never looked like scoring. It’s Northwestern’s fifth straight Big Ten Tournament final, and their 11th straight win over Indiana.

Maryland’s route was louder. The top-ranked Terps beat No. 6 seed Iowa 4-1, and they were 2-0 up inside 14 minutes through Jordyn Hollamon at 4:59 and Babs van Hest at 13:59. Iowa pulled one back in the third quarter when Frédérique van Cleef finished at 36:16, but Maryland closed the game out to win 4-1 and improve to 18-1. The Terps held Iowa to six shots and won the corner count 10-1.

So Sunday, 11 a.m. CT (10 p.m. PKT) on the Big Ten Network, it’s Northwestern against Maryland. Northwestern are the reigning tournament champions and chasing a second straight title and a fourth overall. Maryland are 18-1 and ranked No. 1 in the country. The regular season meeting between these two was a one-goal game. Expect nothing less on Sunday.