Thursday, May 18
Evanston, Ill.
6:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
19-1
16
vs
6
#9 Loyola Maryland
19-3
1
2
3
4
F
Loyola Maryland
1
2
0
3
6
Northwestern
4
6
4
2
16
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Scane Leads No. 1 Northwestern to NCAA Tournament Semifinals
5/18/2023 11:16:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. - Propelled by a 16-goal offensive flurry — fueled by the tantalizing efforts of graduate student attacker Izzy Scane — No. 1 Northwestern (19-1) punched its ticket to Cary, North Carolina, for a fourth consecutive Final Four appearance with a 16-6 win over No. 8-seed Loyola Maryland at home on Thursday night.
"She was pretty hungry," coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said of Scane. "I don't think she was happy with her last game, and she was so grateful for her teammates for stepping up when she wasn't at her best. She has a high standard and she went out there today and was just like, 'I'm gonna play for my teammates.' She did some amazing things — she was a real force on the field."
Scane was magnificent under the lights Thursday at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, tallying seven goals — the first time she's reached that mark since March 15 — and tacking on three assists to boot against No. 9 Loyola Maryland. The Tewaaraton Award finalist's 10 points marked her second-highest point total on the season, and the second-highest in her career during NCAA Tournament play.
Loyola Maryland (19-3) coach Jen Adams called Scane "a Swiss Army knife" and the Clarkston, Michigan, native's offensive impact was noticeable early against the Greyhounds. Just under two minutes had ticked off the scoreboard before Scane corralled a ground ball, drove at the Loyola defense and found first-year attacker Madison Taylor for the game's opening goal.
In a 15-minute span across the first and second quarter, Scane poured in four goals and two assists for Northwestern, helping stretch the home team's advantage from 2-1 to 10-2 by the 3:01 mark in the second frame.
Coming off the heels of a tight 8-7 battle against Michigan in the second round, Scane said she "felt bad" for struggling against the Wolverines' defense, alluding to the two teams' familiarity with one another as a potential hindrance. While the 'Cats were "focused on trying to predict" what Michigan was going to do, facing a new team in Loyola Maryland allowed the Lake Show attack to "get back to the basics."
"In order to play against a strong (defense), we have to play together, we have to move the ball," Amonte Hiller said. "Everyone's got to be a threat and we were able to do that (today)."
The shift paid dividends as the Wildcats racked up goal after goal against the nation's No. 2 scoring defense. Entering Thursday's matchup, Loyola Maryland had conceded more than 10 goals on just one occasion: a 14-11 loss on March 11 to then-No. 10 Florida. On the season, the Greyhounds allowed an average of 6.67 goals per contest, trailing only No. 5 Denver — the very teams Northwestern will face in the Final Four Friday.
Despite Loyola Maryland's noted defensive prowess, the Lake Show's bevy of offensive weapons, led by Scane, dispatched the Greyhounds with ease.
Following a game in which Northwestern's final goal tally was in the single digits — the first time all season the Lake Show scored less than 10 goals — seven different 'Cats found their way onto the scoresheet, including a hat trick from Northwestern's other Tewaaraton finalist, senior attacker Erin Coykendall. The Wildcats held a 10-3 advantage at the intermission and forced a running clock midway through the third quarter. Scane's seventh and final goal with 11:08 remaining in the game handed Northwestern its largest lead of the game, 15-3.
Goalkeeper Molly Laliberty registered seven saves in goal and recorded six ground balls.
Now, with a fourth straight Final Four appearance confirmed, the Wildcats journey south to North Carolina for a date with Denver.
Friday's clash between the 'Cats and Pioneers will pit the nation's No. 1 scoring offense against the nation's No. 1 defense. Northwestern's success against a similarly stout defensive unit in Loyola Maryland does provide a lift, Scane said, but that can't hinder the team's preparation ahead of the game.
"It's good to get in a little bit of a groove," Scane said of building off of Thursday's offensive performance. "Continuing our preparation this week, making sure we're playing our best offense, playing for each other in a way that's going to allow us to pick apart any defense we're going to play. … (Friday will) be an awesome opportunity to see what our group can do against such a great defense."
Northwestern has won 19 consecutive games since dropping the season-opener at Syracuse.
"She was pretty hungry," coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said of Scane. "I don't think she was happy with her last game, and she was so grateful for her teammates for stepping up when she wasn't at her best. She has a high standard and she went out there today and was just like, 'I'm gonna play for my teammates.' She did some amazing things — she was a real force on the field."
We've got our ticket. The train keeps rolling ?? pic.twitter.com/d211YWeV3E
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) May 19, 2023
Scane was magnificent under the lights Thursday at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, tallying seven goals — the first time she's reached that mark since March 15 — and tacking on three assists to boot against No. 9 Loyola Maryland. The Tewaaraton Award finalist's 10 points marked her second-highest point total on the season, and the second-highest in her career during NCAA Tournament play.
Loyola Maryland (19-3) coach Jen Adams called Scane "a Swiss Army knife" and the Clarkston, Michigan, native's offensive impact was noticeable early against the Greyhounds. Just under two minutes had ticked off the scoreboard before Scane corralled a ground ball, drove at the Loyola defense and found first-year attacker Madison Taylor for the game's opening goal.
In a 15-minute span across the first and second quarter, Scane poured in four goals and two assists for Northwestern, helping stretch the home team's advantage from 2-1 to 10-2 by the 3:01 mark in the second frame.
Coming off the heels of a tight 8-7 battle against Michigan in the second round, Scane said she "felt bad" for struggling against the Wolverines' defense, alluding to the two teams' familiarity with one another as a potential hindrance. While the 'Cats were "focused on trying to predict" what Michigan was going to do, facing a new team in Loyola Maryland allowed the Lake Show attack to "get back to the basics."
"In order to play against a strong (defense), we have to play together, we have to move the ball," Amonte Hiller said. "Everyone's got to be a threat and we were able to do that (today)."
The shift paid dividends as the Wildcats racked up goal after goal against the nation's No. 2 scoring defense. Entering Thursday's matchup, Loyola Maryland had conceded more than 10 goals on just one occasion: a 14-11 loss on March 11 to then-No. 10 Florida. On the season, the Greyhounds allowed an average of 6.67 goals per contest, trailing only No. 5 Denver — the very teams Northwestern will face in the Final Four Friday.
Despite Loyola Maryland's noted defensive prowess, the Lake Show's bevy of offensive weapons, led by Scane, dispatched the Greyhounds with ease.
TEAM EFFORT ??
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) May 19, 2023
Kendall Halpern gets her first assist of the season on Izzy Scane's seventh goal of the game. pic.twitter.com/JvBY7lXacY
Following a game in which Northwestern's final goal tally was in the single digits — the first time all season the Lake Show scored less than 10 goals — seven different 'Cats found their way onto the scoresheet, including a hat trick from Northwestern's other Tewaaraton finalist, senior attacker Erin Coykendall. The Wildcats held a 10-3 advantage at the intermission and forced a running clock midway through the third quarter. Scane's seventh and final goal with 11:08 remaining in the game handed Northwestern its largest lead of the game, 15-3.
Goalkeeper Molly Laliberty registered seven saves in goal and recorded six ground balls.
Now, with a fourth straight Final Four appearance confirmed, the Wildcats journey south to North Carolina for a date with Denver.
Friday's clash between the 'Cats and Pioneers will pit the nation's No. 1 scoring offense against the nation's No. 1 defense. Northwestern's success against a similarly stout defensive unit in Loyola Maryland does provide a lift, Scane said, but that can't hinder the team's preparation ahead of the game.
"It's good to get in a little bit of a groove," Scane said of building off of Thursday's offensive performance. "Continuing our preparation this week, making sure we're playing our best offense, playing for each other in a way that's going to allow us to pick apart any defense we're going to play. … (Friday will) be an awesome opportunity to see what our group can do against such a great defense."
Northwestern has won 19 consecutive games since dropping the season-opener at Syracuse.
Team Stats
LOYOLA
NU
Shots
17
38
Turnovers
15
9
Caused Turnovers
4
9
Draw Controls
13
12
Free-Position Shots
10
14
Ground Balls
13
23
Game Leaders
Players
G
7
A
3
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
2
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
4
CT
1
G
1
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Players Mentioned
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
D
/ Women's Lacrosse
GK
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
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Lacrosse - Maddy Taylor Breaks NCAA Goals Record in Quarterfinal Win (5/15/25)
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