Big Ten Semifinals: Northwestern and Maryland Put Shared Crowns on the Line in Columbus

The Big Ten’s two best teams shared the regular-season title. On Friday they both have to prove it again.

Top seeds Northwestern and Maryland meet Indiana and Iowa respectively in the semifinals at Buckeye Varsity Field in Columbus, both live on Big Ten Network. Northwestern take on Indiana at 1 p.m. ET (11 p.m. PKT). Maryland face Iowa at 4 p.m. ET (2 a.m. PKT Saturday). The final is Sunday at noon ET (10 p.m. PKT).

Northwestern and Maryland finished locked together at 7-1 in the league, and Northwestern took the top seed on the tiebreaker. The Wildcats are 16-2 overall. Maryland are 17-1 and ranked among the very best in the country. Neither side has lost a conference game to anyone outside that pair.

Indiana are the story of the week, though. The Hoosiers beat Rutgers 2-1 in Wednesday’s quarter-final, and it’s their first Big Ten semi-final since 2012, only the fourth in program history. Gamonal opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, Rutgers levelled through Talia Schenck off a penalty corner in the 43rd, and Garcia Prado grabbed the winner with Molly Stutte setting it up. It’s also Indiana’s first 10-win season since 2021. They’ve got nothing to lose against the top seeds, and that’s exactly what makes them dangerous.

Iowa earned their place the same way, coming from behind to beat Penn State 2-1 after the Nittany Lions had led 1-0. The Hawkeyes are 12-4 and have already shown they can win a game they were losing.

Maryland’s quarter-final was the most comfortable of the three. They beat Ohio State 3-1, with Eschoyez and Babs van Hest scoring early and Ella Beach adding a 54th-minute dagger. Ohio State’s Phillippa Jowett got one back, but the Terps were never really in trouble.

For our money, the favourites should hold. Northwestern and Maryland have been a clear step ahead of this league all season. But Indiana and Iowa have both already won a knockout game this week, and the winners go straight into Sunday’s final, with the NCAA selection show coming just hours after it. That’s a big prize for a Friday night.