Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
6-3, 1-1
Oregon
6-4, 0-2
No. 11 ’Cats Cruise to 17-3 Road Win Over Oregon
3/21/2026 4:26:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EUGENE, Ore. — No. 11 Northwestern knocked off Oregon 17-3 in a wire-to-wire victory on Saturday afternoon at Papé Field.
Behind a 10-point display from senior attacker Madison Taylor (seven goals, three assists), the Wildcats (6-3, 1-1 Big Ten) secured an emphatic bounce-back win over the Ducks (6-4, 0-2 Big Ten). Northwestern's three goals allowed marked the fewest scores it has ever surrendered in Big Ten play.
Taylor became the No. 2 goalscorer in program history on Saturday, surpassing Selena Lasota's career tally of 287. She also eclipsed Hannah Nielsen's career points figure (398) to jump into No. 2 on NU's points leaderboard. The senior has scored 290 goals and 407 points in 74 career games, both of which lead all active NCAA players.
Nine 'Cats netted goals in the win. Junior attacker Taylor Lapointe and redshirt junior attacker Abby LoCascio both scored a pair of goals.
Sophomore attacker Aditi Foster, first-year midfielder Kate Ratanaproeksa, redshirt first-year attacker Jenna Soto, junior midfielder Noel Cumberland, sophomore midfielder Hannah Rudolph, and graduate student midfielder Annabel Child each added a goal.
Graduate student attacker Olivia Adamson dished out a season-high three assists.
Redshirt sophomore midfielder Madison Smith put forward a standout performance in the draw circle, pulling down 10 draw controls. Senior attacker Maddie Epke and Taylor combined for five draw controls. Smith's prowess in the possession game helped NU outdraw Oregon 16-6.
On the defensive end, graduate student goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco posted a .571 save percentage. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Francesca Argentieri saved both of her shots faced in the fourth quarter. Sophomore defender Mary Carroll and first-year defender Reese Hansen each racked up a pair of caused turnovers.
Oregon's 11 shots marked the fewest NU has allowed in a game this season, as well as the lowest figure against a Big Ten opponent since Rutgers registered 10 shots against the Wildcats on April 10, 2015.
While Northwestern took more than 10 minutes to open the scoring, the 'Cats tallied five goals in the first quarter's final 4:25 to build a 5-0 advantage. By halftime, the Wildcats led 10-1.
A Ratanaproeksa goal activated the running clock with 10:26 remaining in the third quarter, and Northwestern scored seven of the game's final eight goals.
The Wildcats will return to road action in a rematch of the 2025 national title game against No. 1 North Carolina on Wednesday, March 25. Opening draw from Chapel Hill is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
