Can the ‘Cats ship up to Boston?
The 2025 NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament kicks off today with the first round. Although Northwestern doesn’t begin play until the second round on Sunday, May 11, we wanted to celebrate opening day with a piece previewing the Wildcats’ run ahead. In this piece, Inside NU’s EIC Yanyan Li, as well as former EICs Brendan Preisman and Sophia Vlahakis follow up on their preseason preview to answer all the questions you may have about the NCAA tournament.
If you’re interested in audio to supplement this piece, check out the special edition lacrosse episode of Inside with InsideNU down below or on Spotify/Apple Podcasts, hosted by multimedia director Charlie Jacobs.
What do you make of Northwestern’s draw up until the quarterfinals? Was this the best/worst case scenario for the team?
Yanyan: There’s no way to sugarcoat it — this draw won’t be easy for Northwestern. It took care of Michigan in the regular season, but the Wolverines have given the ‘Cats their fair share of trouble in previous years (Akron is another possible opponent, but Michigan should be heavily favored to beat the Zips). And after what happened in the Big Ten tournament, Maryland was the seeded quarterfinal opponent that I wanted to see the least in Northwestern’s draw.
I share everyone’s concerns about beating the same team multiple times in a season, but on the flip side, I think almost losing to Maryland and putting up arguably its worst performance all year will help Northwestern. The team got a worst-case scenario on offense versus the Terps, so it can come into a rematch on home turf knowing where to get better. NU was mostly dominant the last time it faced Michigan, but I think there’s also stuff to learn from the 0-3 first-quarter deficit that it started off with.
Sophia: Seeing Maryland in Northwestern’s corner of the bracket is not exactly settling. The best-case scenario is Penn defeating No. 6 Maryland, assuming those teams advance to the second round. I’m confident in Northwestern’s abilities to beat Michigan (or Akron if need-be), but my confidence around the third round is contingent on the ‘Cats’ opponent. Yes, Northwestern has beaten Maryland twice, but beating a team three times in one season is not easy. Especially considering that Northwestern beat Maryland by just one in the Big Ten Championship, a win over the Terps cannot be guaranteed.
Brendan: Considering Northwestern’s basically been locked into the three seed for the past few months, I’m not too worried about this draw. Every team that hopes to make the Final Four will have to topple a lot of talented opponents, and there are dangerous teams in all four quadrants. With that being said — I am not a fan of Maryland being the potential quarterfinal opponent less than three weeks after the Terps almost toppled Northwestern. However, the Wildcats have shown that they can dominate both Maryland and Michigan already this year (combined margin of the regular season games: 31-10), so as long as Northwestern is on its A game, I’m not worried.
What is one thing you’re concerned about regarding Northwestern, and one thing about a potential opponent that you’re concerned about?
Sophia: Assuming Northwestern makes it deep into the tournament, it needs to be playing every quarter to the max. There have been slow starts and quarters where Northwestern seemingly has nothing. Against North Carolina, the No. 1 seed, the ‘Cats had a 8-6 lead at the half. But in the third quarter, the Tar Heels held them to an astounding zero goals while putting up five. That one quarter completely disregarded the efforts across the other three, where Northwestern proved it could win. To beat a Final Four team and certainly to win the national title, Northwestern needs to be competitive in every frame. This team knows that. After all, it had 6-0 lead to start the championship last year…
My biggest fear in this entire tournament is Shea Dolce. A 2024 national title game rematch in the semifinals is highly likely, and Dolce is highly likely to save a lot of goals.
Brendan: Speaking of Northwestern being on its A game — this team really seemed to take its foot off the pedal for the back half of April. The Wildcats no-showed the first quarter against Michigan (to be fair, they did end up running the clock in that one), let Ohio State drop 12 goals, and then narrowly escaped a pair of upsets in the Big Ten Tournament. The defensive intensity needs to be turned up to 11 — literally. Northwestern averages 10.39 caused turnovers per game, but the Wildcats have fallen below that mark in four of their last five games. If Northwestern’s defense can’t create extra possessions, the Lake Show could be in trouble.
And speaking of turnovers — Northwestern’s likely quarterfinal opponent, Maryland, does not give the ball away often. The Terps are ninth nationally in turnovers, with just 12.47 giveaways per game. They had 15 against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament final, their highest mark since March 21 against…Northwestern. If Maryland is able to return to its typical levels of ball control, the possession battle could tilt in its favor.
Yanyan: This will sound cliche, but I’m worried that Northwestern won’t bring the best version of itself into the NCAA tournament. It’s very clear how much the Big Ten tournament hurt our confidence in this team, and that’s because it performed much worse than it was capable of. It’s a testament to how good Northwestern is when it can perform “poorly” to its standards and still win the Big Ten, but it also proves that the team can be so much better. The version of the ‘Cats that beat every team in its conference by at least eight goals must show out in May.
Northwestern head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said in a media availability Wednesday that a new face emerges every year for the ‘Cats in the postseason, and it would be great if that held again in the coming weeks. In a season where Northwestern has gone by with less star power than usual, all hands must be on deck for a deep run.
As for a potential opponent trait I’m concerned about? The Maryland draw control. In the regular season, the Wildcats lost the draw 14-9 to the Terps in just one of the two games this season where Sam Smith and co. didn’t have the advantage. Northwestern won the draw battle in the Big Ten championship (which was much needed), but its draw struggles in Maryland game one and its offensive struggles in game two combined could be disastrous.
On that note, what would you like to see Northwestern improve upon heading into the tournament?
Sophia: The offense needs to get going right off the whistle. Whether it be the second game of the season where Northwestern failed to score in the first quarter while Boston College put up three or the Big Ten Championship, where Northwestern scored just two goals in the first half, slow starts have been an issue all season. The Wildcats can not always be playing from behind.
Yanyan: Limiting foul trouble. Cards were a big issue in the Big Ten tournament, to the extent that Maryland was a player up for over 1/6th of the championship game. In addition, over half of Hokpins’ goals in the semifinals happened while being a player up. I understand that Northwestern is a team built upon its athleticism and physicality, but it can’t get to a point where opponents can capitalize on its recklessness. In addition, with Madison Taylor getting ejected in crunch time against Maryland and Sammy White being in hot water against Hopkins, it would be ideal if the ‘Cats had their best players on the field during postseason play.
Brendan: This might sound a little bit crazy, but passing the ball. Throughout the 2020s, the Wildcats have tended to specialize at getting goals from brilliant individual attacks. The issue, as we saw against Maryland, is that most great teams can stop great individual attacks. Northwestern hasn’t tallied more than seven assists in a game since the Oregon blowout. If the Wildcats want their offense to keep humming, they’ve got to share the love once they get inside the fan.
Aside from Northwestern’s first team All-Big Ten selections (Madison Taylor, Sam Smith, Sammy White, Jane Hansen), who will be the tournament MVP for this team?
Yanyan: Emerson Bohlig could be a big X-factor for Northwestern’s scoring. Given that she’s a midfielder, she might not be as prevalent on attack as players like Madison Taylor, Niki Miles, etc, but she knows how to force things when it matters most. She was the team’s top scorer against North Carolina and tied Taylor to lead in goals against Boston College. Against Maryland in the Big Ten tournament championship, she broke a 12-minute scoring drought to tie the game, and then set up Aditi Foster’s game-winner.
With Northwestern’s gauntlet of a tournament draw, it will need a player like Bohlig, who is emboldened to be that big momentum-shifter. A few rockets from eight meters out from her could do the ‘Cats a huge favor.
Sophia: Niki Miles. Winning is going to require more than Madison Taylor scoring, especially as she can be expected to be zeroed in on by defenses. Playing for Northwestern is the Penn grad transfer’s last opportunity to contend for a title and also the first time she has ever been on a team that could realistically win a title. In Northwestern’s 16-15 victory over Johns Hopkins, she showed she could step up with her game-leading five goals and expect her to do it again in this tournament.
Brendan: Mary Carroll. The Pennsylvania native made the Big Ten’s All-Freshman team, and deservedly so. She’s third on the team in caused turnovers. But against the cream of the crop, she’s struggled a bit this year. She failed to tally a ground ball OR a caused turnover against Boston College, North Carolina and Maryland (in the second game). But in the first Maryland game, she had her best performance of the year: three ground balls and four caused turnovers. If she’s able to recapture that form, Northwestern’s defense gets even scarier.
What does Madison Taylor need to do to win the Tewaaraton?
Sophia: Simply put: score a lot of goals. Taylor and Boston College’s Rachel Clark are both on track to shatter the single-season goals record, and both of their teams are on track to contend for a national title. To set herself apart, Taylor needs to be absolutely pivotal in leading Northwestern to success.
Brendan: Significantly outplay Clark in the semifinal game. Obviously a win would be ideal too, but if Taylor outscores Clark 8-3 and someone like Emma LoPinto is the Eagles’ leading scorer in a win, it’d be very difficult for someone to make the case for Clark. Taylor is two goals back with one less game played, but is also 12 points ahead thanks to her passing acumen. Assuming Taylor plays up to her usual standard in the NCAA tournament, this award is hers to lose.
Yanyan: I agree that Taylor needs to outplay Clark, especially if they face each other. But I can’t understate just how big team success will be, and Northwestern needs a deep run for Taylor to have an edge — especially when the other four finalists come from Boston College and North Carolina. The battle between Taylor and Clark is reminiscent of the Tewaaraton battle between Izzy Scane and BC’s Charlotte North in 2021, where Scane scored more goals per game and got eliminated in the semi-finals, but North scored more goals overall and won the national championship. North got the Tewaaraton nod, and I expect the same thing to happen to Clark if Boston College outperforms Northwestern in the NCAA tournament in the same way this year (if it comes down to Taylor and Clark)
You can like it or dislike it, but precedent shows that the Tewaaraton favors top teams. Every single past winner played in the Final Four the season they won, and every winner since 2012 played in the national title game. More likely than not, this year’s winner will too.
What is your idea of a successful showing for this Northwestern team?
Sophia: Northwestern has consistently been in the top three all season. It has been consistently overshadowed by North Carolina and Boston College, but the ‘Cats have done nothing but prove that it is in the top echelon of teams. Of course, this Northwestern team is not the team of the previous two seasons, but it is, hands-down, a great team. But for that to be true, it must make it to the Final Four. If Northwestern is truly the best in the Big Ten and can compete with the likes of the Tar Heels and the Eagles, it should make it to Foxborough.
Yanyan: I’m going to have to agree with Sophia here — Northwestern has been the clear-cut third-best team in the country, and its position as the No. 3 seed was never in doubt. Yes, it looked shaky in the Big Ten tournament, but it beat almost everyone on its regular-season schedule by a comfortable margin. Although it lost to BC and UNC, it also gave them closer games than any other team in the nation. Simply put, this Northwestern team on paper is a Final Four team, and I can’t confidently say the same about its potential opponents. For that reason, anything short of a Final Four appearance for this team would be disappointing.
Brendan: Totally agree with everything said by the two SPJ award honorees above me. I’ve said since the Boston College game that the ceiling of this team is probably a Final Four appearance. However, because of the sheer talent and experience, the floor of this team is also probably a Final Four appearance. Northwestern ran the clock on both Michigan and Maryland already this season. There’s no reason the Lake Show can’t do the same thing again as it rampages towards Foxborough.
What are your Final Four and national championship predictions?
Yanyan: This might be me not wanting to be chalky, but Final Four is Northwestern, Boston College, North Carolina and James Madison. The first three teams are heavy favorites to make it to Boston, but No. 4 Florida’s quadrant is so wide-open with potential upsets everywhere. The No. 4 seed hasn’t made the Final Four since 2022, and I see the trend continuing. The Dukes already defeated the Gators earlier this season and are led by a dangerous draw star in Maddie Epke, have championship experience as a program (they won the whole thing in 2018) and I can see them making a Cinderella run.
In the Final Four, I have a Boston College-North Carolina final, with Boston College winning. The Eagles are built for championship Sunday, having made every title game since 2017. They are more experienced on the biggest stage than the Tar Heels, and only lost by a combined three goals across their two matchups this season. I think they’ll pull everything together from those two matches and get over the finish line when it matters most.
Sophia: Final Four: Northwestern, Boston College, North Carolina, Denver. The first three don’t need explaining. I think Denver could have a strong run and should not be underestimated. The Pios have made every tournament since 2018 and made it to the Final Four in 2023, losing to Northwestern. Denver beat Stanford 14-9 in the regular season and can likely do it again in the first round. Florida is a harder draw and James Madison and Duke have been ranked above Denver all season, but the Pios have tournament experience and are tired of being underestimated.
The results: North Carolina over Denver. Northwestern over Boston College (the ‘Cats have to beat the Eagles eventually). North Carolina over Northwestern. The Tar Heels have not faltered once this season.
Brendan: Final Four: North Carolina, Boston College, Northwestern, Florida.
Yeah, yeah, I know it’s chalky. Sue me. Here’s the thing: UNC, BC, Northwestern and Florida are all in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The only other team in the top 15 for both is Denver. As Sophia said, I think Denver is a really tough matchup for the Gators and is going to give them a fight, but Florida hasn’t lost since March 1. I’m not picking against a team on a 14-game winning streak.
I think we get an All-ACC final with North Carolina taking on Boston College. And for the third time this season, the nation’s best defense stands tall when it matters most. North Carolina completes the season sweep in BC’s backyard to earn its third national championship.