Northwestern
14-2
#12 Johns Hopkins
11-7
Northwestern Advances to Big Ten Tournament Championship Game with 13-12 Victory vs. Johns Hopkins
5/2/2024 6:05:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. – On Thursday afternoon, No. 1 Northwestern (14-2, 5-1 B1G) defeated No. 12 Johns Hopkins (11-7, 2-4 B1G) 13-12 in the first semifinal of the 2024 Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Tournament. The Wildcats advance to the championship game vs. Penn State on Saturday, May 4 at 4:30 p.m. CT. It will be the Lake Show's second consecutive Big Ten Tournament championship game.
MOVIN' ON ?????? #CATSWIN pic.twitter.com/hhaxpt53Yf
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) May 2, 2024
The Wildcats were led by Madison Taylor (5 goals and 1 assist on 9 shots), Erin Coykendall (3 goals, 2 assists), Dylan Amonte (3 goals) and Izzy Scane (1 goal, 2 assists). Taylor (4) and Emerson Bohlig (3) led the team in draw controls. Molly Laliberty made seven saves for NU.
How It Happened
Northwestern didn't waste any time, with Taylor scoring in the first minute of the game. Amonte scored a hat trick in the first frame, the 7th time she has accomplished that this year. The low-scoring first quarter ended with the Wildcats up 5-1. The Blue Jays responded with a strong second quarter, scoring six goals, three of them from Ava Angello. Northwestern found a way to stay in front, leading 9-7 at the half. The third frame proved to be a low-scoring affair, with the Blue Jays edging out the Wildcats, 3-1, sending the match into the final quarter tied 10-10. Taylor, as she has done all season long, stepped up when her team needed it the most, scoring two of her game-leading five goals in the fourth quarter.
NU bested the Blue Jays in shots, 34-30, and shots on goal 23-19, but dropped the draw control battle 16-11.
Game Notes
- Scane is six goals away from breaking the NCAA goal-scoring record set by Charlotte North (358).
- Amonte scored a hat trick in the first quarter, getting her third goal with one second remaining in the frame.
- Kendall Halpern caused a career-high five turnovers in today's match.
- Hopkins head coach Tim McCormack spent six years as an assistant at Northwestern, coaching the Wildcat goalies and defense. During his tenure in Evanston, the Wildcats won 81 games, made six NCAA Tournament appearances with two trips to the semifinals, and won the 2019 Big Ten Tournament title.
- NU defeated JHU 14-9 in the Big Ten regular season on March 16. Scane led the Wildcats in that match with seven goals.
Up Next
Northwestern will face Penn State in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament, which will be held in Evanston at Martin Stadium on Saturday, May 4 at 4:30 p.m. CT. The match will air nationally on Big Ten Network. Tickets for the final are available here: https://bit.ly/3TZYgYI.
