Rapid Reaction: On a record-breaking day, Madison Taylor fires the Wildcats to Foxborough

Michael Bender said Taylor’s name 17 times today. Seriously.

There are several numbers that could be used to describe Madison Taylor’s performance on Thursday morning. But only one of them matters. Six.

By the time the dust settled from Taylor’s record-shattering storm, the Northwestern Wildcats had punched their ticket to Foxborough for a sixth-straight Final Four. Taylor was the hero once more, with six goals and four assists. Four other Wildcats had multiple goals, and Sam Smith had a mind-boggling 15 draw controls.

Anna Brandt was dazzling in defeat with five goals for Penn, and Keeley Block added a hat trick. Penn’s freshman goalkeeper Orly Sedransk did her best to hold up against the offensive onslaught, but had a save percentage of just 32.0% in the quarterfinal.

After losing the opening draw in the ‘Cats’ prior matchup, Sam Smith redeemed herself Thursday in the NCAA Quarterfinal by taking possession for the host team to start the game. A minute and 10 seconds later, it was Lucy Munro getting the scoring started on the day, going back-to-back for goals number 15 and 16 of her season.

Munro scored a minute and 10 seconds into the game off an early free position, then followed it up at the 12:55 mark by cutting through the middle of the fan and making good off a feed from Madison Taylor from the right side of the crease.

Taylor would have her first opportunity to break Izzy Scane’s single-season goal record with just under 11 minutes to go in the first, but Penn goalie Orly Sedransk had something to say about it, temporarily stopping Taylor’s quest for Northwestern history. She’d stop another Northwestern shot seconds later.

Penn came barrreling down the spine seeking a response, but Jane Hansen took it away from Anna Brandt to give way to a Taylor Lapointe goal on the other end. 3-0 ‘Cats.

History arrived at Northwestern Medicine Field at the 8:26 mark, as Taylor finally reached the coveted 100-goal mark to break her former teammate’s record. Taylor became the 1st player in Northwestern history to reach the century mark over the course of a season, and just the fourth in Division I history.

With 6:18 left to go, Keeley Block initiated the famous bell heard at the University of Pennsylvania for the Quaker’s first goal of the afternoon. Goal number one for Penn’s number 24 was answered by the ‘Cats plus one in Taylor to extend the lead to 5-1.

Block came back with her second consecutive goal a minute and 45 seconds later, followed by a Gracie Smith opportunity well inside the 8-meter fan to make it 5-3. The ‘Cats defense finished out the first quarter unblemished from there, with goalie Delaney Sweitzer picking up two saves – much to the dismay of her twin sister, Savannah, coaching on the Penn sideline – and Hansen causing her second turnover of the game.

However, the second quarter began just as sloppily as the first frame had ended. A green card on Penn midfielder Natasha Gorriaran led to Lapointe’s second goal of the game, as N-U doubled the score of the opposing Quakers in the middle of the period. Emerson Bohlig padded the cushion to four by ripping a shot from the tip of the fan past the reach of Sedransk.

Taylor started to make Abby Hormes sweat from her seat in front of the television with her 102nd goal of the season at the 8:13 mark. After failing to capitalize on a free position shot in the first, the junior would rectify her mistake by cashing in on her second opportunity of the game.

With the first half inside six minutes to play, a day packed with history continued to write a story lacrosse fans wouldn’t soon forget. It was Anna Brandt notching her 64th goal of the season, breaking Penn’s single-season goal record previously held by its now adversary Niki Miles.

Abby LoCasio found herself in the scoring column on the next possession. She was the beneficiary of Taylor’s third assist of the game to push the lead back to five for the ‘Cats—an assist that tied Northwestern’s single season points record.

For commentators, Taylor’s next goal sent them scrambling for notes on her video game-like season numbers. The 3:23 mark saw the legend break Northwestern’s single-season points record, previously set by Hannah Nielsen, while tying Hormes’ all-time Division I goal record at 103.

Brandt moved into the double-digit mark on the afternoon with another goal at the 1:35 mark. However, the Quakers were only halfway up the ‘Cats 10-point mountain of scoring it created to end the first half.

Brandt opened up the third quarter with her third goal of the afternoon. The senior took the ball from 20 feet behind the left elbow of the fan to the inside of the 12-meter arc, whizzing a shot to the left of Sweitzer’s outstretched stick for the hat trick.

During Penn’s next offensive possession, Catherine Berkery would muscle herself near the crease to pull Penn within 3 of Northwestern. All of a sudden, the pregame tension of the quarterfinal that temporarily subsided in a non-competitive first half reentered Martin Stadium with the Quakers rising from the dead.

The moment all Northwestern fans were anxiously waiting for finally emerged with 10:45 to go in the third.

A Madison Taylor free position shot in the center of the fan gave her the golden opportunity to break the NCAA single-season goal record set only three years ago. As the whistle sounded, Taylor came crashing straight toward the crease, broke right, and went top-left to become immortalized in the lore of NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse.

Patricia Columbia-Walsh ended the fun with an even nine minutes left in the third by getting herself in the scoring column. Two minutes afterward, things got serious with Brandt on a free position opportunity to make it a two-point deficit for Penn. Once again, Jane Hansen came through on the defensive end with a stick check to send the shot sailing high over the net and out of bounds. With the Quakers retaining possession, Megan Mallgrave intercepted a pass across the fan to flip the possession arrow back in N-U’s favor.

Penn’s defense stopped a Riley Campbell shot on the opposite end to give their offense another chance at inching closer to the ‘Cats. Gracie Smith would sneak behind the defense, emerge from the left side of the crease and receive a pass from Columbia-Walsh to make the score 11-9.

Following a Northwestern timeout, Natasha Gorrarian came through with the draw control for the Quakers, leaving it back in Smith’s hands to cut the lead to one. The midfielder found Keeley Block inside the fan to cap off a 5-1 run from Penn in the third.

With her former team on a run, Niki Miles made a play. Her unassisted goal from the left elbow of the fan gave the ‘Cats some much needed insurance with 3:35 left to go. At the 2:27 mark, Taylor netted her sixth goal of the day to make the score 13-10 heading into the final quarter of collegiate lacrosse played in Evanston this season.

The scoring in the fourth took a bit more time to erupt, but Riley Campbell’s shot from close range found the meshed polyester between the pipes for her 35th score of the season. The graduate student’s goal was her first since the 25th of April against Johns Hopkins in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

For a second consecutive quarter, Niki Miles sent a shot past Sedransk to push the lead back to five for the ‘Cats. A game that seemed in jeopardy for the host squad now seemed well within reach with 11:34 left to go.

Anna Brandt refused to go out without a fight, as she decided to forcefully take the reins of the offense with her college career in danger of coming to an early close. She went back-to-back for a team-best five goals in the contest, the first being a line-drive screamer to the bottom-right corner off a gorgeous flip from Catherine Berkery, and the second a bounce shot as she moved down the right side of the crease.

Putting the contest to bed, however, was first-year Aditi Foster with a shot from inside the right elbow. As the ‘Cats celebrated the score to the sounds of 50 Cent, it seems as though the “many men” wishing a premature death on the Northwestern Wildcats’ postseason would be disappointed for a second consecutive NCAA tournament game.

Foster capitalized the W for N-U with 20 seconds left to go. A spectacular sidearm shot that snuck into the net, falling away towards her left as she sent the shot rumbling towards the net.

Thanks to the 17-12 victory, the ‘Cats become the first quarterfinal participant to punch their ticket to Gillette Stadium for the Final Four. Northwestern awaits the winner between No. 2 Boston College and No. 7 Yale, whom they’ll battle on Friday, May 23. inside the home of the New England Patriots.