Northwestern
9-2
#13 North Carolina
7-4
'Cats Bounce Back Strong, Defeat North Carolina 16-10
3/25/2024 8:36:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Chapel Hill, NC – On Friday afternoon, No. 3 Northwestern (9-2, 1-1 B1G) got back in the win column by beating No. 13 North Carolina (7-4, 3-2 ACC) 16-10 at Dorrance Field. The game, which was played outdoors, was nationally broadcast on ESPNU.
SWEET VICTORY ?????? pic.twitter.com/XMg14s0bUA
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) March 25, 2024
The Wildcats were led by Izzy Scane (tying a season-high 7 goals on a team-high 11 shots), Erin Coykendall (1 goals and 4 assists), Dylan Amonte (4 goals) and Madison Taylor (3 goals and 1 assist). Samantha Smith (14) was dominant in the circle, leading the team in draw controls. Molly Laliberty made 9 saves for the Wildcats.
How It Happened
The first frame was a back-and-forth affair. NU scored the first two, followed by three in a row from UNC, and ending with two from the 'Cats. Scane and Taylor each scored two goals in the first quarter, which saw the Wildcats up 4-3.
Our favorite duo is at it again ??
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) March 25, 2024
Izzy's second goal of the day ?? Tied up: 3-3 pic.twitter.com/P2iiT7eKgk
Molly Laliberty put up a shutout in the second quarter and the Northwestern offense scored four goals to take a 7-3 lead. The 'Cats went on a 5-0 run to end the half.
North Carolina started the second half by making a change in goal, with Stella Harrison entering the match. The Tar Heels scored the first two and then the Wildcats answered with the final three tallies in the frame from Scane, Coykendall and Emerson Bohlig. The third quarter ended with NU leading 10-5.
The Tar Heels saved their best for last, going on a 5-0 run in the final frame. The Wildcats defense was dialed in all game. This was the fewest goals allowed (10) on the road this season for Northwestern.
NU outshot their opponents 35-24 and dominated the draw control battle 23-6.
Game Notes
- This was the 26th meeting all-time between Northwestern and Carolina with each team winning 13 times.
- Taylor is on the verge of a significant milestone, being just 7 goals away from reaching 100 career goals as a sophomore.
- This was Amonte's 6th career 4-goal game.
- Three of the final four Wildcats regular season games will be televised nationally. Games versus Rutgers (March 30), at Maryland (April 6) and at Michigan (April 21) will all air on Big Ten Network. The home game versus Ohio State (April 13) will air on B1G+.
Up Next
Northwestern will return home to face Rutgers (5-5, 0-3 B1G) on Saturday, March 30 at Ryan Fieldhouse. Faceoff against the Scarlet Knights is at 5:00 p.m. CT. The game will air on Big Ten Network.
