New-Look Northwestern Back to Winning Ways

Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics

New-Look Northwestern Back to Winning Ways

3/31/2026 3:09:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

By: Henry Frieman, NUSports.com

EVANSTON, Ill. — With all but four 2025 starters graduating, Combe Family Head Lacrosse Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller needed to recalibrate on both ends of the field to continue adhering to the standard of Northwestern lacrosse in 2026.

Of course, senior attacker Madison Taylor, who set the NCAA record for goals in a season last year with 109 and is at 54 goals through 11 games this season, would be the offensive focal point.

Still, new contributors needed to step up on offense and help shore up the defense alongside redshirt junior Jaylen Rosga and sophomore Mary Carroll.

Senior attacker Maddie Epke and graduate student attacker Olivia Adamson joined the squad from James Madison and Syracuse, respectively. Graduate student defender Annabel Child came over from Harvard, and graduate student goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco traded Drexel's blue and gold for No. 6 Northwestern's purple and white.

In Sunday's 16-12 win over No. 7 Johns Hopkins, the new-look Wildcats became the first team in the country to knock off two top-10 opponents in a single week this season.

Epke posted a season-high five goals, adding two assists and six draw controls. Child caused a turnover, added a goal and corralled four ground balls. Adamson tallied two points and Cuocco made 11 saves. Taylor led the team in scoring with six goals.

"The hard times that we had early have certainly built this team," Amonte Hiller said. ?"It's helped us a lot to look within ourselves and find ways to really, truly get better."

Junior midfielder Noel Cumberland has caught fire as of late, logging six points in the past two games. She has doubled her points tally from last season. Against Johns Hopkins, Cumberland contributed a coast-to-coast player-up goal to extend Northwestern's lead to three.

"That kid plays with so much heart, and it's fun to see her find her confidence and who she is," Amonte Hiller said of Cumberland. "She's just so committed right now to being great in all aspects, and it's exciting to see her progress."

The additions of Epke and Adamson have further amplified the potent Wildcats attack.

Epke, who joined Northwestern after earning First-Team All-American honors with James Madison last season, leads the team in draw controls with 39, adding 14 goals and eight assists in the process. She teamed up with redshirt sophomore Madison Smith on the draw to create a lethal combination, as the Wildcats rank second in the nation in draw controls per game.

"It's super fun to be around people that just love lacrosse and put everything into it," Epke said. "I'm happy to learn so much from some of these talented girls and find my role — whatever my role is any day is what I want to give to the team."

Adamson ranks third on the team with 29 points through 17 goals and 12 assists. With her final year of eligibility, she traded the shores of Onondaga Lake for the banks of Lake Michigan, earning USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American Second Team honors ahead of the season.

Defensively, Carroll has followed up an impressive first-year campaign with a stellar sophomore season. The defender has caused a team-high 12 turnovers and anchors a unit that surrenders the fourth-fewest goals per game in the Big Ten.

Child's presence on the roster marks the 11th consecutive season a Canadian has worn a Northwestern lacrosse jersey, a streak that dates back to 2015. The Oakville, Ontario, native joined the Wildcats after earning First-Team All-Ivy League honors at Harvard.

She's been a versatile piece of Northwestern's transition game, scoring seven goals in addition to causing eight turnovers and snagging 18 ground balls. Her grittiness in the defensive fan exemplifies Amonte Hiller's goal of a "scrappy" defense.

"Anytime you can be a dog, it has benefits," Amonte Hiller said. "That's what we want to be made of … You never know how you're gonna make a play, could be through our ride, it could be a groundball on the offensive end. It could be defense, it could be draws. And so, we just have to have that mentality holistically."

Cuocco joined Northwestern after three seasons of standout play with Drexel and has continued to dazzle between the pipes in her new conference. The three-time CAA Goalie of the Year ranks third in the Big Ten among qualified goalkeepers with a .479 save percentage and came up with a huge save in overtime in the 'Cats' win over top-ranked North Carolina last week.

"She's awesome," Carroll said of Cuocco. "She brings such a great mindset to this program, and she's just an amazing person. No matter if she's on the field or off the field, she is just bringing such great energy. And she's insane in the cage, so we're very grateful to have her behind us."

Meanwhile, first-years like defender Mckenzie Brown and midfielder Kate Ratanaproeksa have made an immediate impact since arriving on campus. Brown has started eight games, playing in all 11, while Ratanaproeksa has started every game, tallying four points and 26 draw controls while providing critical speed in the midfield.

As Lacrosse Day in Chicago nears, the new-look Wildcats are finding a rhythm at just the right moment. With five regular-season games remaining, and conference and national tournaments soon to follow, the stakes have rarely been higher.

"Every conference game is tough. Everybody's battling for conference championships, the number one seed, all of that," Amonte Hiller said. "So, we just have to go out there and play our hardest every time we get the chance."