Friday, May 24
Cary, N.C.
2 p.m. CT
Northwestern
18-2
15
vs
11
#10 Florida
20-3
1
2
3
4
F
Florida
2
4
3
2
11
Northwestern
3
4
3
5
15
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
No. 1 Northwestern Defeats Florida, Advances to Title Game for Second-Straight Season
5/24/2024 6:04:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
CARY, N.C. – No. 1 Northwestern scored five unanswered goals in the third and fourth quarters to pull away and defeat Florida 15-11 on Friday evening in the NCAA Tournament Semifinals at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. The Wildcats (18-2) advance to the championship game at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, May 26, which will air on ESPN, and look to defend their title against No. 2 Boston College.
Sophomore Madison Taylor scored a team-high five goals and sixth year Izzy Scane tallied four goals, powering Northwestern's offense by scoring nine of the team's 15 goals.
How It Happened
The teams traded goals twice to open the game. Then Scane buried her 80th goal of the season, giving the Wildcats a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The top two scoring offenses in the country were surprisingly quiet in the first half. The NCAA's all-time leading scorer, Scane, and Florida's (20-3) leading scorer, Maggi Hall, both registered hat tricks in the first two quarters. The 'Cats led 7-6 at halftime.
After the break, it was only a matter of minutes until Taylor joined the hat trick club. And shortly after that, she scored her fourth of the game. NU led 10-9 after three quarters.
Neither team scored more than two consecutive goals during the first three quarters, as Florida tied the game up at nine with 7:46 to play in the third quarter. Northwestern responded by going on a game-changing 5-0 run to give the 'Cats a decisive 14-9 advantage. Four different 'Cats scored goals during the run, with graduate student Lindsey Frank recording two of her three goals on the day.
The Wildcats had a 17-11 advantage in draw controls, led by Samantha Smith's eight. Goalkeeper Molly Laliberty registered 10 saves on the day. Northwestern's defense forced 10 turnovers, led by senior Carleigh Mahoney's four caused turnovers.
NU bested the Gators in shots, 31-24, shots on goal, 25-21, and draw controls, 17-11. Florida committed 28 fouls to Northwestern's 19.
Game Notes
Sophomore Madison Taylor scored a team-high five goals and sixth year Izzy Scane tallied four goals, powering Northwestern's offense by scoring nine of the team's 15 goals.
SEE YOU SUNDAY ???? #catswin pic.twitter.com/5pNYS82ahd
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) May 24, 2024
How It Happened
The teams traded goals twice to open the game. Then Scane buried her 80th goal of the season, giving the Wildcats a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The top two scoring offenses in the country were surprisingly quiet in the first half. The NCAA's all-time leading scorer, Scane, and Florida's (20-3) leading scorer, Maggi Hall, both registered hat tricks in the first two quarters. The 'Cats led 7-6 at halftime.
After the break, it was only a matter of minutes until Taylor joined the hat trick club. And shortly after that, she scored her fourth of the game. NU led 10-9 after three quarters.
Neither team scored more than two consecutive goals during the first three quarters, as Florida tied the game up at nine with 7:46 to play in the third quarter. Northwestern responded by going on a game-changing 5-0 run to give the 'Cats a decisive 14-9 advantage. Four different 'Cats scored goals during the run, with graduate student Lindsey Frank recording two of her three goals on the day.
The Wildcats had a 17-11 advantage in draw controls, led by Samantha Smith's eight. Goalkeeper Molly Laliberty registered 10 saves on the day. Northwestern's defense forced 10 turnovers, led by senior Carleigh Mahoney's four caused turnovers.
NU bested the Gators in shots, 31-24, shots on goal, 25-21, and draw controls, 17-11. Florida committed 28 fouls to Northwestern's 19.
Game Notes
- Northwestern will appear in its 10th championship game, going 8-1 in the title round.
- Florida was held to 11 goals, its fewest of the season since the second game of the season against North Carolina (10).
- The Wildcats have won 11 consecutive NCAA Tournament or conference tournament games, the second-longest streak in program history.
- Taylor scored five goals for the second consecutive game and reached 80 for the season.
- The game went into a 55 minute lightning delay before the start of the fourth quarter.
Team Stats
UF
NU
Shots
24
31
Turnovers
15
15
Caused Turnovers
11
10
Draw Controls
11
17
Free-Position Shots
7
5
Ground Balls
15
15
Game Leaders
Players
G
5
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
4
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
3
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
1
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
GK
/ Women's Lacrosse
D
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's LacrosseLacrosse - 'Cats Fall to North Carolina in National Championship Game
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Lacrosse - NCAA Semifinal Postgame Press Conference (5/23/25)
Saturday, May 24
Lacrosse - Comeback 'Cats Take Down Boston College, 12-11, Advance to National Title Game (5/23/25)
Saturday, May 24
Lacrosse - Maddy Taylor Breaks NCAA Goals Record in Quarterfinal Win (5/15/25)
Thursday, May 15
