Saturday, April 22
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
15-1, 6-0B1G
13
vs
6
#12 Maryland
12-5, 4-2B1G
1
2
3
4
F
Maryland
2
2
1
1
6
Northwestern
4
0
5
4
13
Northwestern Dismantles No. 12 Maryland, Wins Big Ten Title Outright
4/22/2023 10:14:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. - Saturday's clash under the lights at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium pitted two powerhouses in No. 2 Northwestern and No. 12 Maryland against one another with a conference regular season title on the line. In the end, purple confetti streamers littered the turf in celebration of the Wildcats' second Big Ten championship following a 13-6 disassembling of the Terrapins.
"The environment we have here is really something special," senior attacker Erin Coykendall said. "In front of a sold-out crowd, it's really, really special for us to get this regular season championship here. We always talk about how we're doing it for something bigger than us and we have such a great fan base."
It took the 'Cats (15-1, 6-0 B1G) just 31 seconds to open the scoring. First-year midfielder Madison Taylor corralled the opening draw before the ball eventually found its way to the stick of graduate student attacker Izzy Scane. The nation's leading goalscorer took advantage of ample space on the left side, darting in and firing a shot cross cage for the game's first goal.
Less than three minutes ticked off the scoreboard before Northwestern notched its second score, courtesy of a connection between graduate student attacker Hailey Rhatigan and Taylor. Coykendall quickly joined Scane and Taylor on the scoresheet, hitting her defender with a fake before firing a shot to the top of the cage, notching Northwestern's third goal in under six minutes.
Despite the early deficit and a raucous crowd — one which boasted the largest attendance (1,936) in program history — Maryland responded with a pair of scores to trim the Wildcats' lead to one. Northwestern's search for a final goal by quarter's end was granted by graduate student midfielder Elle Hansen, who beat the buzzer on a free-position shot to give the 'Cats a 4-2 lead after 15 minutes of action.
Out of the gates in the second quarter, goals from a pair of Terrapins (12-5, 4-2 B1G) brought the score level 4-4. Maryland's defense tightened as well, stifling Northwestern's arsenal of weapons. As the Wildcats struggled to convert offensively, Maryland continued to threaten the hosts' defense.
The Wildcats' answer? Graduate student goalkeeper Molly Laliberty, whose brick wall-esque stature in front of the cage kept the Terrapins at bay in the second quarter.
After the Terrapins tallied two goals in a span of 47 seconds, the two teams played to a stalemate into halftime, due in large part to each squad's defense. Maryland's success in stymying the country's premier attack could have sent the Wildcats into a tailspin, though the 5-foot-4 Laliberty stood tall, making five saves to keep the score tied.
When Maryland was granted a free position at the 10:37 mark, Laliberty slid left and saved a shot. When the Terrapins found a window of space across the face of goal, Laliberty adjusted and made a second stop. The Newburyport, Massachusetts, product was tasked with another challenge just 42 seconds later, but knocked the shot away with her stick. Laliberty recorded a fourth save before the Terrapins were awarded a free position less than 10 seconds before halftime. As she was all quarter, Laliberty refused to waver, making one final stop.
"Molly was electric," sophomore defender Samantha White said. "We needed her to step up and she stepped up for us, and that gave the entire defense that sense of confidence. It was awesome."
Out of halftime, the nation's best offense awoke with a fury, led by Taylor and graduate student attacker Hailey Rhatigan, tallying five goals in the third quarter to all but finish the Terrapins.
Hansen broke NU's scoreless drought with a goal off a stellar assist from Taylor. Less than a minute later, Taylor got her second score of the game from a free position and 52 seconds after Maryland trimmed the Wildcats' lead back to one, the first-year phenom tallied her third goal of the night.
"Anytime you win a title, it's a really special thing," head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said postgame. "I'm just proud of the way (Northwestern) came out of the locker room at halftime and really just found the holes and stayed together defensively."
Gallery: (4-23-2023) Lacrosse vs. Maryland
After several unsuccessful attempts in the first two frames, Rhatigan finally got her name on the scoresheet, rifling a low shot into the back of the cage to increase Northwestern's lead to three goals. Rhatigan scored another free-position goal for the 'Cats with less than 80 seconds left in the third frame to increase the Lake Show advantage to four. Her offensive prowess was on display once again for Northwestern, as she tallied two more scores by game's end.
Coykendall, one of three 'Cats to record a hat trick Saturday night, put the finishing touches on the Wildcats' second-half explosion with a last-second goal before the buzzer sounded.
"I kind of blacked out," Coykendall said. "There was a lot of pressure in my face and I was just getting hit, so I shot it. We always talk about consistently attacking and pushing, so we're still trying to score even with a minute left."
With a regular season title under its belt, Northwestern now turns its attention to the Big Ten Tournament. The Wildcats will be the No. 1 seed in Columbus, Ohio, and will face either Michigan or Penn State on May 4.
"The environment we have here is really something special," senior attacker Erin Coykendall said. "In front of a sold-out crowd, it's really, really special for us to get this regular season championship here. We always talk about how we're doing it for something bigger than us and we have such a great fan base."
All ours ?? pic.twitter.com/17RtrFPASm
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) April 23, 2023
It took the 'Cats (15-1, 6-0 B1G) just 31 seconds to open the scoring. First-year midfielder Madison Taylor corralled the opening draw before the ball eventually found its way to the stick of graduate student attacker Izzy Scane. The nation's leading goalscorer took advantage of ample space on the left side, darting in and firing a shot cross cage for the game's first goal.
Less than three minutes ticked off the scoreboard before Northwestern notched its second score, courtesy of a connection between graduate student attacker Hailey Rhatigan and Taylor. Coykendall quickly joined Scane and Taylor on the scoresheet, hitting her defender with a fake before firing a shot to the top of the cage, notching Northwestern's third goal in under six minutes.
Nothing beats that championship feeling ???? pic.twitter.com/wEWlvaczIX
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) April 23, 2023
Despite the early deficit and a raucous crowd — one which boasted the largest attendance (1,936) in program history — Maryland responded with a pair of scores to trim the Wildcats' lead to one. Northwestern's search for a final goal by quarter's end was granted by graduate student midfielder Elle Hansen, who beat the buzzer on a free-position shot to give the 'Cats a 4-2 lead after 15 minutes of action.
Out of the gates in the second quarter, goals from a pair of Terrapins (12-5, 4-2 B1G) brought the score level 4-4. Maryland's defense tightened as well, stifling Northwestern's arsenal of weapons. As the Wildcats struggled to convert offensively, Maryland continued to threaten the hosts' defense.
The Wildcats' answer? Graduate student goalkeeper Molly Laliberty, whose brick wall-esque stature in front of the cage kept the Terrapins at bay in the second quarter.
After the Terrapins tallied two goals in a span of 47 seconds, the two teams played to a stalemate into halftime, due in large part to each squad's defense. Maryland's success in stymying the country's premier attack could have sent the Wildcats into a tailspin, though the 5-foot-4 Laliberty stood tall, making five saves to keep the score tied.
When Maryland was granted a free position at the 10:37 mark, Laliberty slid left and saved a shot. When the Terrapins found a window of space across the face of goal, Laliberty adjusted and made a second stop. The Newburyport, Massachusetts, product was tasked with another challenge just 42 seconds later, but knocked the shot away with her stick. Laliberty recorded a fourth save before the Terrapins were awarded a free position less than 10 seconds before halftime. As she was all quarter, Laliberty refused to waver, making one final stop.
The Lake Show presents your 2023 Big Ten Champions ?????? pic.twitter.com/4zmRLGsXmv
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) April 23, 2023
"Molly was electric," sophomore defender Samantha White said. "We needed her to step up and she stepped up for us, and that gave the entire defense that sense of confidence. It was awesome."
Out of halftime, the nation's best offense awoke with a fury, led by Taylor and graduate student attacker Hailey Rhatigan, tallying five goals in the third quarter to all but finish the Terrapins.
Hansen broke NU's scoreless drought with a goal off a stellar assist from Taylor. Less than a minute later, Taylor got her second score of the game from a free position and 52 seconds after Maryland trimmed the Wildcats' lead back to one, the first-year phenom tallied her third goal of the night.
"Anytime you win a title, it's a really special thing," head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said postgame. "I'm just proud of the way (Northwestern) came out of the locker room at halftime and really just found the holes and stayed together defensively."
After several unsuccessful attempts in the first two frames, Rhatigan finally got her name on the scoresheet, rifling a low shot into the back of the cage to increase Northwestern's lead to three goals. Rhatigan scored another free-position goal for the 'Cats with less than 80 seconds left in the third frame to increase the Lake Show advantage to four. Her offensive prowess was on display once again for Northwestern, as she tallied two more scores by game's end.
Coykendall, one of three 'Cats to record a hat trick Saturday night, put the finishing touches on the Wildcats' second-half explosion with a last-second goal before the buzzer sounded.
"I kind of blacked out," Coykendall said. "There was a lot of pressure in my face and I was just getting hit, so I shot it. We always talk about consistently attacking and pushing, so we're still trying to score even with a minute left."
With a regular season title under its belt, Northwestern now turns its attention to the Big Ten Tournament. The Wildcats will be the No. 1 seed in Columbus, Ohio, and will face either Michigan or Penn State on May 4.
Team Stats
MD
NU
Shots
19
34
Turnovers
13
11
Caused Turnovers
6
9
Draw Controls
9
12
Free-Position Shots
4
7
Ground Balls
14
11
Game Leaders
Players
G
4
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
1
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
1
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Players Mentioned
A
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's Lacrosse
GK
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's Lacrosse
D
/ Women's LacrosseLacrosse - 'Cats Fall to North Carolina in National Championship Game
Sunday, May 25
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
