
Northwestern Travels to No. 4 Johns Hopkins for Top-Five Showdown
4/2/2025 3:21:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
BALTIMORE, Md. – No. 3 Northwestern (9-2, 3-0) faces No. 4 Johns Hopkins (9-2, 3-0) in a Big Ten matchup on Thursday, April 3, at 5 p.m. CT (6 p.m. ET) at Homewood Field. The game will be streamed live on the Centennial Digital Network.
Last season, Northwestern defeated Johns Hopkins twice. The first victory came in a 14-9 win at Ryan Fieldhouse, led by Izzy Scane's seven-goal performance. Madison Taylor contributed four goals and three assists, while Erin Coykendall added two goals and two assists. The Wildcats edged the Blue Jays again in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, securing a narrow 13-12 win. Madison Taylor powered the offense with five goals and one assist, including two crucial fourth-quarter goals, while Coykendall and Dylan Amonte each added three goals. Goalkeeper Molly Laliberty made seven saves in the matchup. Northwestern last played at Homewood Field in 2023, when the Wildcats secured a dominant 19-5 victory over the Blue Jays.
Northwestern is coming off a West Coast trip where it defeated No. 18 USC 17-8 on Sunday, extending its Big Ten winning streak to nine games. Taylor led the way with five goals, while Riley Campbell added three goals and three assists. The Wildcats' defense forced 11 turnovers and recorded 18 ground balls, with Jaylen Rosga collecting four ground balls and causing two turnovers. Mary Carroll added three ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Delaney Sweitzer made nine saves.Prior to that, Northwestern suffered its second loss of the season, falling 15-12 to No. 2 North Carolina.
Madison Taylor, who ranks second in the nation in points (73), leads the country in free-position goals per game (2.27), converting 25-of-34 attempts. She has recorded at least three goals per game in 29 of the last 32 games.
The Wildcats rank fifth in the nation in draw controls per game (17.27) and sixth in draw control percentage (.835), with senior Sam Smith leading the team with 73 draw controls. Defensively, Northwestern ranks 10th in caused turnovers per game and has held opponents to 10 goals or fewer in nine of its 11 games. Sweitzer ranks 11th nationally in save percentage (.504) and eighth in goals-against average (8.55).
Johns Hopkins has steadily climbed the national rankings, breaking into the top four this week. The Blue Jays' two losses came against No. 5 Florida (12-11) and No. 17 Loyola (11-7). They have notable wins over then-No. 7 Syracuse (14-13 OT) and No. 13 James Madison (17-8). Hopkins enters Thursday's game on an eight-game winning streak and has won its last four home contests.
Senior Ashley Mackin is coming off a 17-goal weekend and was named Big Ten Attacker of the Week. She recently surpassed Taylor in goals per game, leading the nation with 5.3 per contest, while Taylor ranks second with 5.0. Defensively, junior Reagan O'Brien leads the nation in caused turnovers per game (3.64).
Both teams are unbeaten in Big Ten play. A win would extend Northwestern's conference streak and continue its momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Fans can tune in to the Centennial Digital Network and follow along on twitter for updates @NULax .
Northwestern holds a 21-4 all-time record against Johns Hopkins, winning the last nine meetings. The Wildcats have not lost to the Blue Jays since 2014 and have suffered only two road defeats in the all-time series, with the most recent coming in 2011. The teams have met annually since 2002 after first facing off in 1983.
Last season, Northwestern defeated Johns Hopkins twice. The first victory came in a 14-9 win at Ryan Fieldhouse, led by Izzy Scane's seven-goal performance. Madison Taylor contributed four goals and three assists, while Erin Coykendall added two goals and two assists. The Wildcats edged the Blue Jays again in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, securing a narrow 13-12 win. Madison Taylor powered the offense with five goals and one assist, including two crucial fourth-quarter goals, while Coykendall and Dylan Amonte each added three goals. Goalkeeper Molly Laliberty made seven saves in the matchup. Northwestern last played at Homewood Field in 2023, when the Wildcats secured a dominant 19-5 victory over the Blue Jays.
Northwestern is coming off a West Coast trip where it defeated No. 18 USC 17-8 on Sunday, extending its Big Ten winning streak to nine games. Taylor led the way with five goals, while Riley Campbell added three goals and three assists. The Wildcats' defense forced 11 turnovers and recorded 18 ground balls, with Jaylen Rosga collecting four ground balls and causing two turnovers. Mary Carroll added three ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Delaney Sweitzer made nine saves.Prior to that, Northwestern suffered its second loss of the season, falling 15-12 to No. 2 North Carolina.
Madison Taylor, who ranks second in the nation in points (73), leads the country in free-position goals per game (2.27), converting 25-of-34 attempts. She has recorded at least three goals per game in 29 of the last 32 games.
The Wildcats rank fifth in the nation in draw controls per game (17.27) and sixth in draw control percentage (.835), with senior Sam Smith leading the team with 73 draw controls. Defensively, Northwestern ranks 10th in caused turnovers per game and has held opponents to 10 goals or fewer in nine of its 11 games. Sweitzer ranks 11th nationally in save percentage (.504) and eighth in goals-against average (8.55).
Johns Hopkins has steadily climbed the national rankings, breaking into the top four this week. The Blue Jays' two losses came against No. 5 Florida (12-11) and No. 17 Loyola (11-7). They have notable wins over then-No. 7 Syracuse (14-13 OT) and No. 13 James Madison (17-8). Hopkins enters Thursday's game on an eight-game winning streak and has won its last four home contests.
Senior Ashley Mackin is coming off a 17-goal weekend and was named Big Ten Attacker of the Week. She recently surpassed Taylor in goals per game, leading the nation with 5.3 per contest, while Taylor ranks second with 5.0. Defensively, junior Reagan O'Brien leads the nation in caused turnovers per game (3.64).
Both teams are unbeaten in Big Ten play. A win would extend Northwestern's conference streak and continue its momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season. Fans can tune in to the Centennial Digital Network and follow along on twitter for updates @NULax .
Players Mentioned
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