This season has been far from black and white. These teams are why.
For all but three weeks this season, Northwestern reigned as the No. 1 team in the nation. But this season has experienced a lot of shuffling in the rankings with unexpected wins and losses all around.
Syracuse, Boston College, Maryland, Notre Dame and Michigan all currently trail the ‘Cats in the IWLCA rankings. No clear trend has solidified this order, but these five teams have proven their talent. Let’s dive into the five greatest challengers Northwestern may have on its quest to win back-to-back championships.
1: No. 3 Boston College (12-2, 6-1 ACC)
Boston College has played in the last six national championships. The hope and expectation is to extend that streak to seven and avenge its last two championship losses against North Carolina and Northwestern. Fortunately for the squad, and unfortunately for other squads, the Eagles are a well-rounded team with the means to do so.
BC’s only losses so far have come to Northwestern and Notre Dame — a team NU also fell to. Against the ‘Cats, the Eagles fell behind quickly in the first quarter, 7-2, but they managed to come back strong in the second half to lose by just three. As for the Wolverines, a goal with 15 seconds left delivered Michigan a one-goal win.
These games didn’t end in their favor, but the Eagles don’t give up easily which can be attributed to their talent and depth. In addition to having one of the best goalies in the country in Shea Dolce, BC is No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 3 in scoring offense.
There are five Eagles who have over 20 goals this season, with Rachel Clark, who is fifth in the nation in goals, Kayla Martello and Emma Lopinto leading the offensive charge. Combined with their playoff experience, Boston College’s domination on both sides of the field can be lethal.
Although BC has not had too many difficult games, its remaining matchups against No. 11 Virginia and No. 2 Syracuse will show just how good the squad is.
2: No. 5 Notre Dame (12-2, 5-2 ACC)
Notre Dame is currently ranked fifth in the nation and has risen as high as second. The Irish have been defying odds all season, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them back up in that second slot by season’s end.
ND was projected at just seventh to start the year but quickly set a tone for the season by defeating Northwestern, winning the draw battle, 20-8, and outshooting the ‘Cats, 36-20. A month later, the Irish prevailed against BC.
They are another pretty developed team. Led by Kelly Denes, Notre Dame’s draw control unit ranks No. 6 in the country and is more efficient than any of the other teams on this list. Their success on the draw is what proved to be the difference against the ‘Cats.
ND has a strong defense that is 14th in scoring defense, and its trio of Jackie Wolak, Kasey Choma and Madison Ahearn keep the offense solid.
The Fighting Irish have only lost to Syracuse and Virginia. Like most of the teams here, the wins and losses have been a mixed bag. Maybe they should have won some they didn’t or maybe should have lost some they won; nonetheless, those are two respectable programs and the wins against NU and BC speak volumes as to what Notre Dame is capable of.
3: No. 4 Maryland (11-3, 4-1 B1G)
Maryland has had a whirlwind of a season, picking up wins against Syracuse, Denver, James Madison and Michigan but also falling to Northwestern, Flordia and UPenn.
One thing is certain: the Terps have had a challenging schedule. So, while losing 13-9 to UPenn, then redeeming itself against Michigan 8-6 just to fall 17-8 to Northwestern in three straight games is a lot of chaos, it fits into the general trend of this season. It’s not worth dwelling on.
Against the ‘Cats, the Terps had 22 turnovers and struggled offensively, as they were outshot 32-26 and only managed 17 shots on goal. Meanwhile, against UPenn, the Terps lost the draw battle and didn’t shoot well.
Those are elements that Maryland can work on, and it has the pieces to do so.
The Terps have three players with over 20 goals, including Hannah Leubecker who has 36. Shaylan Ahern is a draw control savant, and Meghan Ball is an exceptional defender with 24 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers on the season to compliment her contributions on the circle. Not to mention, Emily Sterling is as valuable of a player as any. The 2022 IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year is currently ninth nationally in saves for the season.
Despite inconvenient losses that have pushed them back in the rankings, the Terps at full force are an intimidating opponent.
4: No. 2 Syracuse (11-3, 7-0 ACC)
Given the loss —though it could have gone either way — to Maryland, the Orange sit behind the Terps on this list. Syracuse is a solid team with nice wins over Virginia, Loyala and North Carolina. Its losses against Maryland and Stony Brook were well contested battles, (both went into overtime) and against Northwestern, the Orange came within one goal in the final quarter before falling 18-15.
When Syracuse is hot, there is no limit on what it can achieve. But Virginia, which was a one-point game, Loyola, which was a three point game and Stony Brook are games that were closer than perhaps they should have been.
The Orange will have a big match up against Boston College to end the season which will be a great preview of playoff-level play and will be the Eagles’ toughest match since facing Notre Dame on Feb. 24.
Kayla Treanor will be looking to her offense, which is the eighth best in the country, to step up. There are five players who have over 20 goals: Emma Ward, Emma Tyrell, Olivia Adamson, Natalie Smith and Maddy Baxter. Syracuse has all the keys to success, it just seems to be a matter of execution.
5: No. 6 Michigan (13-1, 3-1 B1G)
Michigan hasn’t had the toughest schedule among these teams, having only played Maryland so far with Northwestern still on the horizon.
Even so, the Wolverines have proven to be dominant defensively. They lead the nation in scoring defense and do so by far, with more than a goal separating them from Boston College. This defense was on display in Michigan’s wins over Denver (8-4), USC (9-3) and UPenn (6-5). Although Michigan lost to Maryland 8-6, eight was the fewest number of goals the Terps have scored all season.
Michigan’s last two games against Johns Hopkins and Northwestern will be telling signs of how its talent stacks up against top-tier teams. Against the ‘Cats, it will be interesting to see how the Wolverines manage the draw and offense. They are seventh in draw control percentage, while NU is in 13th. Maximizing possession will be key for Michigan because while it has an elite defense, Northwestern’s offense is unforgiving. That will be crucial as the Wolverines are not a high-scoring team, as only two players, Jill Smith with 40 and Kaylee Dyer with 39, have over 20 goals.