Northwestern triumphs in the Big Ten after trailing by four.
No. 3 Northwestern (16-2, 9-0 B1G) came back from a four-goal deficit in the third quarter to beat No. 7 Maryland (14-5, 7-2 B1G) 8-7. With the score tied 7-7 with 0:15 on the clock, first-year attacker Aditi Foster scored a game-winner to seal the tournament for Northwestern. With Big Ten regular and postseason titles, the ‘Cats went undefeated in conference for the first time since 2023.
It was a tale of two halves for the Wildcats. Over the first, the ‘Cats went 2-for-21 on shooting, but they corrected during the break to go 6-for-20. Graduate goalie Delaney Sweitzer struggled in the first half, only stopping two of Maryland’s seven shots on goal. Over the Terrapins’ next seven shots, Sweitzer only allowed two goals.
On the attack, junior Madison Taylor, graduate student Niki Miles and Foster each managed two goals. In the midfield, senior Sam Smith won seven draw controls. Sixth-year defender Jane Hansen anchored the defense with three caused turnovers, including a stick check to end the game. For the Terrapins, J.J. Suriano was a standout in goal, recording 18 saves.
Smith won the opening draw, but sophomore midfielder Taylor LaPointe hit the left goalpost to end the ‘Cats opening possession. Then, the Terrapins struck. A foul by senior defender Sammy White resulted in junior midfielder Kori Edmondson scoring a quick free-position goal. Junior attacker Madison Taylor earned her own eight-meter try, but she suffered a rare miss.
Five minutes in, Taylor responded. Coming from the right side of the goal, she bulldozed her way through a crowd of Maryland defenders. Her bottom-left shot tied the score 1-1. A draw violation led to Maryland receiving possession next, and freshman attacker Shelby Sullivan put a free-position shot through Sweitzer’s legs to put the ‘Cats down 1-2 for the second time of the weekend.
Foul trouble was a particular issue for Northwestern as it received five with seven minutes left in the first compared to none from Maryland. Still, the Wildcat defense held strong over most of the first. Unfortunately for Northwestern, the players in red did the same as Taylor failed to get a shot off on another free position at 3:52.
Maryland went up 3-1 as sophomore attacker Lauren LaPointe came from behind the cage to bounce in a shot below Sweitzer’s stick. With a minute to go in the first period, Taylor looked to score her second of the day but received a crease violation, and Northwestern went into the first break down two.
Smith looked to get the ‘Cats back on target as she won the draw control to start the quarter. Graduate attacker Niki Miles could not get a clean shot while on the attack, and a minute later, the Terps were back at the eight-meter arc. Freshman attacker Shelby Sullivan missed Maryland’s first shot of the quarter.
Maryland extended its lead 4-1 at 10:12 after back-to-back fouls on Northwestern’s defense led to a free-position goal from Edmondson. Junior attacker Lucy Munro fed the ball to graduate attacker Niki Miles on the ‘Cats next possession. Miles took it herself and went right by Terrapin sophomore goalie JJ Suriano to get her first goal of the game.
Freshman midfielder Kayla Gilmore made Sweitzer look silly, scoring while triple-teamed. Six minutes into the second, Maryland had gone 5-for-6 on shots and saved seven of the ‘Cats nine shots on goal. Taylor missed another two free-position shots, and Maryland moved into possession ball. On three consecutive free positions, the Terps elected to pass rather than shoot, nearly bleeding 1:30 off the clock.
Inexplicably, Northwestern was content to do the same thing. Munro passed out of an eight-meter try, and Taylor’s next shot was an easy save. Up a woman for 1:00, Taylor earned another free position, but she passed it away too. Graduate attacker Riley Campbell’s next shot was right into Suriano’s net, and a 2:30 Northwestern attack came to nothing.
Taylor was stick-checked on her fourth free position, but with a minute to go in the half, the ‘Cats found themselves with an extra woman and a chance to bring the score within two. A fifth free position for Taylor ended the half with Maryland ahead 5-2.
30 minutes in, Maryland sported an astonishing 84.6% save rate on 13 shots on goal while Sweitzer struggled at 28.6%. Despite tripling the Terrapins’ shot total, Northwestern had gone 2-for-21. Defensively, the ‘Cats held up over the last nine minutes of the second quarter, but Maryland only took one shot after the 13:30 mark.
Early in the third, Taylor missed her fifth free position while Emerson Bohlig was off on a pair of shots. Miles failed to score too, and five minutes into the quarter, the scoreboard remained the same. Taylor missed a pair of shots at 8:30 before leaving the field with a yellow card. Northwestern’s tries were up to 29. The score was still 5-2 for Maryland.
And then it was 6-2. Edmonson threw one for Maryland’s ninth shot after a foul by Smith resulted in a free position. Possession after possession, the Terrapin defense continued to force the Wildcats into uncomfortable positions.
With their backs against the wall, something clicked for the ‘Cats. Aditi Foster finally broke Northwestern’s 20-minute scoring drought with a bullet from eight meters out. After Smith won the draw, Miles spun around a Maryland defender and shot across her body to pull the score within two at 4:16.
The Terrapins retreated into their shells, turning the ball over while a player up, and committing a shot clock violation on their next chance. With 0:09 left in the quarter, Noel Cumberland put a shot behind Suriano to bring the score to 6-5 with 15:00 to play.
Northwestern’s defense fought furiously for the first few minutes of the fourth. Its rewards were a yellow and green card to put its next offensive possession to bed. The defense stood tall early, but the offense struggled to find a good shot as Smith was unsuccessful on a good look free position.
6:50… 5:50… 5:20…
A Taylor eight-meter try was waived after she stepped into the crease. Her next try was saved by Suriano again.
4:50… 3:50… 3:20…
Suddenly, Bohlig played Superwoman. After receiving a pass from Taylor, she locked eyes with the goal and scored right under Suriano’s nose to make it 6-6. With 2:54 left, the game was tied for the first time since 8:50 in the first quarter.
Smith won the next draw. Taylor sprinted up the middle. Taylor scored from eight meters out. The ‘Cats were up 7-6 with 2:38 on the clock. White won the draw, and the ‘Cats were content to pass around as the shot clock slowly dwindled. Disaster struck as Taylor’s third goal was erased due to a dangerous follow-through, earning her a second yellow card and ejection from the contest. Seconds later, Edmondson slid one in from point-blank to tie the game at seven with 1:04 on the clock.
With 15 seconds on the clock, Bohlig found Foster with a lane to the goal and fed the pass. Foster did not hesitate. College Park erupted as the ball hit the back of the net. Maryland won the final draw control, and while Edomondson got a free position with two seconds left, she could not convert as Northwestern became tournament champions with an 8-7 win.
Northwestern will now await its fate in the NCAA tournament, with the official bracket being revealed on Sunday, May 4.