Saturday, May 6
Columbus, Ohio
7 p.m. CT
Northwestern
17-1
14
vs
9
#10 Maryland
14-6
1
2
3
4
F
Maryland
2
4
2
1
9
Northwestern
2
5
4
3
14
Photo by: David Dermer/Northwestern Athletics
No. 1 Northwestern Wins Big Ten Tournament Title
5/6/2023 10:21:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
COLUMBUS – There was never a doubt. Behind a lockdown defense that only allowed three second half goals, No. 1 Northwestern defeated No. 10 Maryland 14-9, winning the Big Ten Tournament championship for the third time in school history. The Wildcats captured both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles this season and extended their winning streak to 17 games.
Counting Northwestern's time in the American Lacrosse Conference, the 2023 Big Ten Tournament title marks the ninth conference tournament championship in program history.
"I think the defense is just very coachable, they're cohesive," said head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. "We've worked hard all season long on a lot of different aspects of our game being dynamic. We wanted to be able to really shake teams up with different looks and we were able to do that tonight."
Gallery: (5-6-2023) Big Ten Championship
It was a balanced offensive attack for Northwestern as Rhatigan, Coykendall, Dylan Amonte and Madison Taylor each scored two goals, with Coykendall contributing three assists.
"Going into the game I was just looking forward to spending some time with my teammates on the field because every day that we do that is such a gift," remarked Laliberty.
The 'Cats outscored Maryland 7-3 in the second half and allowed just one goal in the fourth quarter. Samantha Smith, Rhatigan and Scane each posted fourth quarter goals.
Northwestern went into the locker room at halftime leading 7-6 after scoring three of the final four goals of the half. Scane netted three goals and Dylan Amonte added two, while Coykendall recorded three helpers. The Wildcats scored the game's first two goals before Maryland held Northwestern off the scoreboard for over 10 minutes to grab a 3-2 lead.
After securing an automatic berth, Northwestern will find out its NCAA Tournament draw at 8 p.m. CT on on Sunday, May 7 on ESPNU.
Counting Northwestern's time in the American Lacrosse Conference, the 2023 Big Ten Tournament title marks the ninth conference tournament championship in program history.
Izzy Scane was named tournament MVP and scored a game-high four goals and dished out two assists on championship Saturday. Erin Coykendall, Molly Laliberty, Hailey Rhatigan and Samantha White joined her on the all-tournament team.ANOTHER ONE ???? pic.twitter.com/z7MCJve3Ct
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) May 7, 2023
"I think the defense is just very coachable, they're cohesive," said head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. "We've worked hard all season long on a lot of different aspects of our game being dynamic. We wanted to be able to really shake teams up with different looks and we were able to do that tonight."
It was a balanced offensive attack for Northwestern as Rhatigan, Coykendall, Dylan Amonte and Madison Taylor each scored two goals, with Coykendall contributing three assists.
Laliberty made 11 saves on 20 shots on goal, outdueling Terrapins goalkeeper Emily Sterling, who had nine saves on 23 shots on goal.WE GOT HER ?? pic.twitter.com/8fxwX8BT9M
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) May 7, 2023
"Going into the game I was just looking forward to spending some time with my teammates on the field because every day that we do that is such a gift," remarked Laliberty.
The 'Cats outscored Maryland 7-3 in the second half and allowed just one goal in the fourth quarter. Samantha Smith, Rhatigan and Scane each posted fourth quarter goals.
Northwestern went into the locker room at halftime leading 7-6 after scoring three of the final four goals of the half. Scane netted three goals and Dylan Amonte added two, while Coykendall recorded three helpers. The Wildcats scored the game's first two goals before Maryland held Northwestern off the scoreboard for over 10 minutes to grab a 3-2 lead.
After securing an automatic berth, Northwestern will find out its NCAA Tournament draw at 8 p.m. CT on on Sunday, May 7 on ESPNU.
Team Stats
MD
NU
Shots
32
41
Turnovers
9
13
Caused Turnovers
8
5
Draw Controls
14
13
Free-Position Shots
5
10
Ground Balls
10
20
Game Leaders
Players
G
4
A
2
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
3
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
1
CT
0
Players Mentioned
A
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's Lacrosse
GK
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's LacrosseA
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
D
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Saturday, May 24
Lacrosse - Maddy Taylor Breaks NCAA Goals Record in Quarterfinal Win (5/15/25)
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