Northwestern
13-2, 7-0B1G
Michigan
10-5, 4-3B1G
‘Cats Pounce on Wolverines to Snatch Third-Straight Big Ten Crown
4/17/2025 9:41:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. - Lacrosse Night in Chicago proved to be extra special as No. 3 Northwestern not only clinched their third consecutive Big Ten Conference regular season title but also set a program record with 3,503 fans in attendance. The electric atmosphere at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium fueled the Wildcats to a commanding 15-6 victory over No. 13 Michigan, highlighted by a dominant 15-1 run.
The Wildcats (13-2, 7-0) won their 13th-straight game against a conference opponent. NU is 28-2 in Big Ten play since the 2021 season. Madison Taylor, the nation's leader with 77 goals, racked up six goals and two assists.
3PEAT ?? pic.twitter.com/70TzFcQUU0
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) April 18, 2025
The Wildcats started slow in the first quarter. Goals by Michigan's Jill Smith and Jane Fetteroff extended UM's lead to 3-0 with 1:37 left in the opening frame before Niki Miles got the 'Cats on the board with a minute left on the clock.
Trailing 3-1 after 15 minutes, the Wildcats' offense came to life. Madison Taylor cut the deficit to 3-2 with 12 minutes left in the second quarter on a free position attempt. Riley Campbell converted a free position attempt to knot the score at 3-3 with 7:02 to play in the half. Taylor then put the Wildcats in front for the first time after converting a feed from Miles with 5:08 on the clock.
With the first half winding down, Northwestern caught fire to pad its lead, getting goals from Campbell, Miles and Abby LoCascio in a 2:31 span to pad the lead to 7-3 with 17 seconds to play in the half. The Wolverines eventually snapped the string of seven-straight Wildcat tallies on a Kaylee Dyer goal with two seconds left. Still, NU held a 7-4 lead at the break. The Wildcats defensively held the Wolverines to only nine shots while forcing 10 turnovers. Delaney Sweitzer led the 'Cats with two caused turnovers while making three first-half saves.
Northwestern continued to roll in the third quarter, outscoring Michigan 6-0 in the frame. Taylor began the onslaught by finishing a feed by LoCasio 1:54 into the half. She netted three of NU's first four goals while Miles added two more of her own to complete her hat trick. Sam Smith capped the scoring in the period with 1:20 left and Aditi Foster picked up an assist on the play as the Wildcats grabbed a 13-4 lead through 45 minutes.
Taylor initiated the running clock with her sixth of the game 44 seconds into the fourth and then assisted on Campbell's third of the night to make it a 15-4 game with 11:41 to play. Michigan finally broke its drought by scoring with 8:24 to play, snapping a 15-1 Northwestern scoring run over 37:36 of game time.
The Wildcats caused 11 of the Wolverines' 17 turnovers, led by Sammy White's four. Northwestern more than doubled up Michigan in draw controls (17-8), with Smith snagging 14 on her own. Miles (4 goals, 1 assist), Campbell (3 goals) and LoCasio (1 goal, 1 assist) each put up multi-point evenings. Sweitzer was strong in goal, stopping seven of 13 shots while also causing a pair of turnovers.
??THAT'S A PROGRAM RECORD??
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) April 18, 2025
Thank you Wildcat Nation, the best fans out there!?? pic.twitter.com/kn2ZmQbvRj
Northwestern looks to cap a perfect conference campaign in its regular season finale at Ohio State on Saturday, April 19. The contest begins at noon CT and is streamed live on B1G+.
The 2025 Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Tournament will take place April 23-27 at the Maryland Field Hockey and Women's Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Md. Three first round games will take place on April 23 with the winners and the tournament's top seed advancing to the semifinals on April 25. The semifinal winners will meet in the championship game on April 27, with the winner claiming the Big Ten's automatic qualification to the NCAA Tournament. The first round games will be broadcast on B1G+, while the semifinals and championship will air on Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports App.
