Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/22/23
From Press Release
No. 1 Northwestern dealt a decisive 16-11 NCAA Tournament Semifinal defeat to No. 4 Johns Hopkins on Friday night at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
“Today was just a really special day for our program,” NU Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “I can’t thank everyone enough that has done everything to get this championship here and to make this championship special. Today was a day that we will remember forever. Just to have the opportunity to play in that environment, we’re really blessed and grateful.”
The Wildcats (18-3, 7-1 Big Ten) punched their ticket to their fourth-straight NCAA Championship. NU is the first school to host a national title game since Princeton in 2004. Northwestern will face No. 2 UNC in Sunday’s NCAA Championship game. Opening draw is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
Sophomore attacker Aditi Foster (Penn Charter, Phillylacrosse.com Player of the Year in 2024) scored three first-half goals. She is the first Wildcat underclassman to record a 50+ goal season since Taylor did so in 2024. Foster has 51 goals.
Also, sophomore defender Mary Carroll (Kennett) was a key on defense with two caused turnovers and a groundball.
Senior attackers Madison Taylor and Maddie Epke and junior attacker Taylor Lapointe combined for 21 points in a prolific Championship Weekend display. The ‘Cats outshot the Blue Jays (17-5, 6-2 Big Ten) 40-22.
Taylor tallied a game-high eight points (goals, assists). The Wantagh, N.Y., native has posted 84 points in 15 NCAA Tournament games, which trails Izzy Scane’s all-time record by two points.
Epke recorded four goals and two assists. The James Madison transfer has amassed 13 points in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Thriving as a feeder, junior attacker Taylor Lapointe dished out a career-high five assists and buried a pair of goals.
First-year midfielder Kate Ratanaproeksa recorded a pair of goals, extending her season tally to eight. Ratanaproeksa is the first NU first-year to score multiple goals in a Championship Weekend game since Madison Taylor turned in a four-goal outing against Boston College in the national title game on May 28, 2023.
The ‘Cats commanded the possession battle, outdrawing the Blue Jays 20-9. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Madison Smith pulled down a game-high nine draw controls. Epke racked up six, while Taylor tallied four.
“[Epke] closed the game with us with draw controls, and then that goal at the end, just a massive game,” Amonte Hiller said. “I just have to put a plug in because Maddie, Maddy and Madi combined had 19 draw controls today. They’re a pretty unbelievable squad, and I have a ton of fun working with them.”
Defensively, Northwestern racked up a season-high 18 caused turnovers. Redshirt junior defender Jaylen Rosga led the charge with four caused turnovers.
Five Wildcats (Rosga, Epke, Smith, first-year defender Mckenzie Brown and sophomore midfielder Hannah Rudolph) had multiple caused turnovers. Rudolph snagged a career-high seven caused turnovers in the win — the most in program history in a Championship Weekend game.
“They’re amazing at what they do. We play against them every day, and they work so hard to put trust in themselves, the person next to them, and they trust we will have their back,” Lapointe said of the defense. “Knowing that we have a defense that we can trust to make a stop helps us play at our best and play more free.”
Graduate student goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco recorded six saves, stretching her single-season program record to 180.
Northwestern will face No. 2 UNC in Sunday’s NCAA Championship game. Opening draw is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
The matchup is a rematch of last season’s national title game. NU defeated the Tar Heels 17-16 in an overtime thriller on March 25.
“It’s going to be a day we’re going to remember for the rest of our lives,” Taylor said. “That was so special having all the student athletes and all the students and everyone that’s part of being able to set this whole thing up for us. So much goes into what we got to see this week. It’s just really special being a part of this.”
