Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
#1 North Carolina
’Cats Stun No. 1 North Carolina 17-16 in Overtime Thriller
3/25/2026 8:18:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Senior attacker Madison Taylor delivered a sudden-death overtime winner to lift No. 11 Northwestern to a 17-16 upset win over No. 1 North Carolina on Wednesday night at Dorrance Field.
The Wildcats (7-3, 1-1 Big Ten) snapped the Tar Heels' (9-1, 7-0 ACC) 31-game winning streak with the victory. The result marks NU's first win against a No. 1-ranked squad since the 'Cats toppled then-No. 1 Boston College 14-11 on Feb. 29, 2024. Combe Family Head Lacrosse Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller has now won her past two games in Chapel Hill.
Graduate student attacker Olivia Adamson posted a team-high five points (three goals, two assists), while Taylor and sophomore attacker Aditi Foster each buried three goals. Graduate student midfielder Annabel Child and junior midfielder Noel Cumberland both scored a pair of goals.
Senior attacker Maddie Epke commanded the draw circle, pulling down a season-high 15 draw controls. The figure is tied for the fourth most draw controls in a single game in program history. Taylor and redshirt sophomore Madison Smith each recorded two draw controls as NU outdrew UNC 20-15 in the win.
Epke, junior attacker Taylor Lapointe, sophomore midfielder Hannah Rudolph and senior midfielder Lucy Munro each added a goal.
Graduate student goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco backstopped a spirited defensive effort, racking up 12 saves and a .429 save percentage. Cuocco made a clutch stop on an overtime free position shot to set up Taylor's game-winner.
While the Tar Heels built an early 4-2 lead, Northwestern remained firmly in contention as the first half continued. By halftime, the Wildcats faced an 8-6 deficit.
But a 4-0 third-quarter run helped NU build its first lead of the evening, and the visitors carried a 14-13 advantage into the final 15 minutes of action.
UNC struck first in the fourth quarter to knot the score at 14-14, and the two teams traded a pair of goals each to end regulation at 16-16.
Although Northwestern couldn't corral the opening possession of overtime, the Wildcat defense bowed up, and Cuocco denied the Tar Heels on the doorstep.
With the game on the line, Taylor drove from the right and leapt toward the cage as she fired home the decisive goal. Taylor's magical moment handed UNC its first home loss in two years.
The Wildcats will be back in action at home against No. 7 Johns Hopkins on Sunday, March 29. Opening draw from Ryan Fieldhouse is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network.
