Penn State Stuns No. 1 Northwestern 2-0
Penn State field hockey beat top-ranked Northwestern on October 30, 2026, and now faces Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Hockey
Penn State field hockey defeated No. 1 Northwestern 2-0 on October 30, 2026, with the win coming under first-year head coach Hannah Prince. The Nittany Lions finished the regular season 12-5 and enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 3 seed.
Why it matters
The win marks Prince's first victory as a head coach over a No. 1 team and adds momentum for a program that has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2022. It also positions Penn State for a postseason run in the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
Ella Gaitan has 11 goals and 25 points this season, while Penn State enters the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 3 seed after a 12-5 regular season. Iowa, which beat Penn State 1-0 earlier this season, enters the matchup with a 12-4 record.
The players
Hannah Prince
Prince is the head coach of Penn State field hockey, and she previously led St. Joseph's to the 2024 national championship game.
Ella Gaitan
Gaitan is a Penn State field hockey player who leads the team with 11 goals and 25 points this season.
The details
Penn State returned to practice Sunday, two days after the win over Northwestern. Before the game, Prince told the squad to pick one of four core values and commit to it for that day, and the team uses the acronym G.A.M.E. (grit, accountability, mindset, every single day) to define its core values.
Timeline
October 30, 2026: Penn State defeats No. 1 Northwestern 2-0.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026: Penn State faces Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
2022: Penn State last made the NCAA Tournament.
1982 to 2000: Penn State made 19 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Season Trajectory
Penn State made 19 straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1982 to 2000, a stretch that defines the program's historical standing. The program has not returned to the NCAA Tournament since 2022, so the upset of Northwestern and a strong Big Ten Tournament seed could signal a return toward that earlier level of postseason success.
Penn State's No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament sets up a Wednesday matchup with Iowa in Columbus, Ohio, which determines whether the Nittany Lions advance further in the bracket. For fans tracking the team, the result will shape how the program's postseason outlook is read after a 12-5 regular season.
The takeaway
Penn State's upset of the nation's top-ranked team shows the program can compete with the best in the country as it chases a return to the NCAA Tournament. Readers following the Big Ten race should watch how the team performs against Iowa in the first round of the conference tournament.
What happens next
Penn State faces Iowa on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, in the Big Ten Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
Further reading
For more on the program's recent results, explore Hockey coverage in State College.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
