Thursday, April 17
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Michigan
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
No. 3 Wildcats Aim for Third-Straight Big Ten Title, Host Lacrosse Night in Chicago
4/15/2025 6:00:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 3 Northwestern looks to end the 2025 regular season on a high note as it squares off with long time Big Ten rivals this week.
The Wildcats (12-2, 6-0) host No. 13 Michigan in their regular season home finale at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT on BTN. NU closes out its schedule at Ohio State on Saturday at noon CT. A win in either of its next two games gives Northwestern at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title for the third-straight season.
The Wildcats are hosting Lacrosse Night in Chicago on Thursday night against the Wolverines, which will highlight the impact and growth of women's lacrosse in the Midwest. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. CT and fans can enjoy food and drink, including local food trucks, a fan zone, and games. Exclusive Lake Show commemorative t-shirts will be available for early arriving fans.
Last week, Madison Taylor enjoyed a career afternoon on Northwestern's senior day in the team's first meeting with new Big Ten foe Oregon since 2012. The junior attacker netted seven goals and dished out four assists, all in the the first half, for a career-best 11 points as the Wildcats throttled the Ducks by a 19-10 count. The victory strengthened the 'Cats grip on first place in the Big Ten Conference as they won their fourth-straight game. Lucy Munro enjoyed a strong performance in her own right, recording a first-half hat trick (her second in the past three games) along with two assists for a career-high five points. Riley Campbell (2 goals, 3 assists), Niki Miles (2 goals, 1 assist) and Emerson Bohlig (2 goals) each found the back of the net twice in the win. Taylor closed out the first half by scoring five of the final six goals in the frame as NU led 17-5 at the break and 19-6 with under three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Taylor earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors and maintained her spot atop the national scoring lead with 71 goals and 100 points.
The Wolverines enter play on Thursday with a 10-4 record along with a 4-2 mark in Big Ten play. UM has won three straight, outscoring opponents by a 44-16 margin, with its latest victory being a 13-2 decision over then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins. Michigan is fifth in the nation in scoring defense, yielding just 8.14 goals per game. Offensively, the Wolverines are led by Jill Smith (41 goals, 18 assists) and Kaylee Dyer (36 goals, 21 assists). Calli Norris (25 goals) and Ava Class (22 goals) have also scored over 20 goals to balance out the attack.
Northwestern is an unblemished 15-0 all-time against Michigan, though three of the last five meetings have been decided by three goals or fewer. The teams played a classic battle in the 2024 regular season finale in Ann Arbor the last time they squared off, with No. 1 Northwestern and No. 4 Michigan both vying for a Big Ten title. UM took a 6-3 lead into halftime before NU came alive in the second half. Madison Taylor and Erin Coykendall netted two goals apiece as the 'Cats scored the first four goals of the second half to go out front. With the score tied at eight, Northwestern scored four straight to go up 12-8 in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Michigan battled back to tie it up at 12 with 5:13 remaining in search of its first ever win over Northwestern. The Wildcats were resilient, however, as Taylor fed Dylan Amonte for the winning goal with 2:55 to play as they prevailed, 13-12.
Ohio State (8-6, 1-6) has dropped six-straight tilts, all against Big Ten foes. The Buckeyes' are anchored by a stellar scoring defense that ranks sixth nationally at 8.71 goals against per game. OSU has only scored double digit goals once during its six-game losing streak. Brynn Ammerman runs the Buckeye attack, leading the team with 37 assists and 50 points. Kate Tyack (32 goals), Zoe Coleman (26) and Kampbell Stone (23) are all over 20 goals on the season.
NU has won 21 of its last 22 meetings with OSU and leads the all-time series 21-3. The teams last clashed in the 'Cats' 2024 home finale on Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. The top-ranked Wildcats jumped ahead right away, outscoring the Buckeyes, 8-2, in the opening quarter, with Amonte striking for a first-quarter hat trick. OSU clawed back over the next two quarters, and pulled as close as 13-9 late with 2:21 left in the third on a Coleman goal. The 'Cats got loose in the fourth quarter to put it away, scoring five straight (three by Amonte) in the first 3:41 to balloon the lead to 18-9. Amonte (6 goals) and Taylor (5) combined for 11 goals while Coykendall dished out six assists and a game-high eight points in the win.
The Wildcats will begin postseason play in the Big Ten Tournament next week, with the quarterfinal round beginning on Wednesday, April 23.
The Wildcats (12-2, 6-0) host No. 13 Michigan in their regular season home finale at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium on Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT on BTN. NU closes out its schedule at Ohio State on Saturday at noon CT. A win in either of its next two games gives Northwestern at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title for the third-straight season.
The Wildcats are hosting Lacrosse Night in Chicago on Thursday night against the Wolverines, which will highlight the impact and growth of women's lacrosse in the Midwest. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. CT and fans can enjoy food and drink, including local food trucks, a fan zone, and games. Exclusive Lake Show commemorative t-shirts will be available for early arriving fans.
Last week, Madison Taylor enjoyed a career afternoon on Northwestern's senior day in the team's first meeting with new Big Ten foe Oregon since 2012. The junior attacker netted seven goals and dished out four assists, all in the the first half, for a career-best 11 points as the Wildcats throttled the Ducks by a 19-10 count. The victory strengthened the 'Cats grip on first place in the Big Ten Conference as they won their fourth-straight game. Lucy Munro enjoyed a strong performance in her own right, recording a first-half hat trick (her second in the past three games) along with two assists for a career-high five points. Riley Campbell (2 goals, 3 assists), Niki Miles (2 goals, 1 assist) and Emerson Bohlig (2 goals) each found the back of the net twice in the win. Taylor closed out the first half by scoring five of the final six goals in the frame as NU led 17-5 at the break and 19-6 with under three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Taylor earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors and maintained her spot atop the national scoring lead with 71 goals and 100 points.
The Wolverines enter play on Thursday with a 10-4 record along with a 4-2 mark in Big Ten play. UM has won three straight, outscoring opponents by a 44-16 margin, with its latest victory being a 13-2 decision over then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins. Michigan is fifth in the nation in scoring defense, yielding just 8.14 goals per game. Offensively, the Wolverines are led by Jill Smith (41 goals, 18 assists) and Kaylee Dyer (36 goals, 21 assists). Calli Norris (25 goals) and Ava Class (22 goals) have also scored over 20 goals to balance out the attack.
Northwestern is an unblemished 15-0 all-time against Michigan, though three of the last five meetings have been decided by three goals or fewer. The teams played a classic battle in the 2024 regular season finale in Ann Arbor the last time they squared off, with No. 1 Northwestern and No. 4 Michigan both vying for a Big Ten title. UM took a 6-3 lead into halftime before NU came alive in the second half. Madison Taylor and Erin Coykendall netted two goals apiece as the 'Cats scored the first four goals of the second half to go out front. With the score tied at eight, Northwestern scored four straight to go up 12-8 in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Michigan battled back to tie it up at 12 with 5:13 remaining in search of its first ever win over Northwestern. The Wildcats were resilient, however, as Taylor fed Dylan Amonte for the winning goal with 2:55 to play as they prevailed, 13-12.
Ohio State (8-6, 1-6) has dropped six-straight tilts, all against Big Ten foes. The Buckeyes' are anchored by a stellar scoring defense that ranks sixth nationally at 8.71 goals against per game. OSU has only scored double digit goals once during its six-game losing streak. Brynn Ammerman runs the Buckeye attack, leading the team with 37 assists and 50 points. Kate Tyack (32 goals), Zoe Coleman (26) and Kampbell Stone (23) are all over 20 goals on the season.
NU has won 21 of its last 22 meetings with OSU and leads the all-time series 21-3. The teams last clashed in the 'Cats' 2024 home finale on Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. The top-ranked Wildcats jumped ahead right away, outscoring the Buckeyes, 8-2, in the opening quarter, with Amonte striking for a first-quarter hat trick. OSU clawed back over the next two quarters, and pulled as close as 13-9 late with 2:21 left in the third on a Coleman goal. The 'Cats got loose in the fourth quarter to put it away, scoring five straight (three by Amonte) in the first 3:41 to balloon the lead to 18-9. Amonte (6 goals) and Taylor (5) combined for 11 goals while Coykendall dished out six assists and a game-high eight points in the win.
The Wildcats will begin postseason play in the Big Ten Tournament next week, with the quarterfinal round beginning on Wednesday, April 23.
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