‘Cats faithful, it’s been a long, long time. 323 days, to be exact.
323 days that this column has been on the shelf.
323 days without a deep dive into Northwestern lacrosse.
323 days since the Lake Show has gotten its proper flowers.
323 days is quite a lengthy drought. But that drought will be no more.
Stick Season is back.
And we’ve got a lot to catch up on. So let’s dive in, shall we? Buckle up.
The cliffnotes of a rollercoaster season
When the NCAA announced the Women’s Lacrosse Final Four would be on The Lakefront, it was a safe bet that
Kelly Amonte Hiller’s squad would not only be the hosts, but that they’d be competitors for a national title as well. On their home field, no less.
Fast forward to March 15. Although cold, a Buckeye Bonanza (thanks to Brendan Priesman for that one) dampened the bright and sunny afternoon inside Ryan Fieldhouse.
For the third time this season, the star-studded Wildcats had been upset on home turf. Not to mention it was also the second time it had been at the hands of an unranked foe.
Now, it was a question of whether Northwestern would have the chance to host a regional in Evanston, let alone play for the national championship. Not only a question in the minds of lacrosse fans, but a question in the minds of the IWLCA as well, who slid NU out of the national top 10 for the first time since 2018. That’s 2,912 days since Northwestern was on the outside looking in when it came to the upper echelon of the rankings.
It was an uncomfortable feeling — like a bug crawling underneath the skin, creating an unbearable itch on your shoulder.
What did the ‘Cats do about it? How about winning seven straight games and upsetting the No. 1 team in the nation twice?
Seems like a pretty good response, if I do say so myself.
It took a while for Northwestern lacrosse to look like itself again, but through trial and tribulation, it’s gotten itself there.
Why’d it take so long, and where’s the team going from here? Here are my takes:
A makeover of the attack unit that took quite a few bumps this year.
When Olivia Adamson and Maddie Epke transferred in, it looked as though NU had bulletproofed its offense. This was a great look for NU. While Madison Taylor had just shattered the NCAA single-season goals record the previous season, the ‘Cats’ Achilles’ heel was the lack of a true no. 2 option.
North Carolina figured this out in the 2025 regular season after besting Northwestern and then following the same plan to win the national title game: doubling (and sometimes triple-teaming) Taylor and forcing her out of the fan time and time again. This forced Northwestern to challenge the Tar Heels with any other attacker it had, and it ultimately fell short on the attack. UNC simply had more offensive depth than them.
So, naturally, Amonte Hiller cashed in her chips on two absolute machines.
Epke, the best attacker out of the American Conference, also with a case for “draw taker of the year” in 2025 after leading the nation with 12.61 draws per game, was the highlight addition for this season.
Adamson, a Syracuse standout who flew under the radar, was putting together an early case for the ACC Player of the Year Award that rivaled Chloe Humphrey’s until she left the season with an injury.
We expected this attack to be flawless. But admittedly, maybe we put a bit too much on this new-look group. After all, we didn’t expect cohesiveness to be an issue at times.
But thinking back, why wouldn’t it be? When you put together three no. 1 options and tell them, “go run up the score”, each player’s first instinct is to create their own shot. It won’t work against the best of the best.
Enter: Colorado. The dose of reality ‘Cats faithful didn’t want, but needed, to temper their expectations.
Half of NU’s 18 turnovers came from its Big Three of Taylor, Adamson and Epke. A scary sight that gave way to a scary outcome: the ‘Cats’ first home loss to an unranked opponent in over 20 years.
The struggles would continue against then-No. 16 Stony Brook, when Epke’s inefficiency hurt the ‘Cats’ offense and had them on the ropes.
Then, it was Adamson who saw her struggles in the next game against her former squad. The Orange defense took her and Taylor completely out of the game in a dominant victory over Northwestern.
Then, against Ohio State, Maddy T’s stellar seven scores were undone by the absence of Epke and Adamson on the offense. The former didn’t even log a shot in the contest; the latter took only two.
However, in the last seven games, this group has gotten to know each other well and has found a system to succeed. Finally, the team realized one player won’t always fill up the box score, and now they’re seeming more comfortable with sharing the spotlight whenever necessary.
The upset over No. 1 UNC was the classic Maddy Taylor masterclass in the clutch, supported by a herculean effort by Epke in the draw circle. Against Johns Hopkins, Taylor and Epke once again starred in the scoring, spearheading a rout of the Blue Jays that displayed the absolute best of this group.
Adamson seems like the “odd woman out”, but that can change at the drop of a dime. NU seemed prepared to handle it if that’s what it comes to.
T-time with a sophomore cameo.
What doesn’t necessarily jump off the stat sheet is Taylor’s assist total, but watch a Northwestern lacrosse game, and you’ll see she’s made her passing even better than what it was a season ago.
Two names that are a major part of that improvement are Aditi Foster and Noel Cumberland.
Foster is the clear successor to Taylor as the top dog in the offense. At any moment, she can work around a defender in isolation and score.
Why am I mentioning this?
Because when you have an attacker as talented as Foster — a crafty stick on the right elbow — you can relax in knowing that she’ll do the job whenever Taylor, Adamson or Epke can’t. Her three goals against North Carolina were insanely well-timed: a response to Eliza Osborn’s opening score in the first quarter, a third-quarter shot to cut a UNC lead to one and one last rifle into the back of the net to put the ‘Cats up by one.
Time and time again, she’s proven she’s built for the moment. She’ll be the backbone of Northwestern lax for the next two seasons.
As for Cumberland, she’s made her presence felt in the last nine games by tacking on goals. Not just any ordinary scores, however, but most of these shots have been extremely difficult for anyone to cash in on. As an offensive midfielder, she’s been a great option off the bench for Amonte Hiller for the second half of the regular season.
Drawing teams into oblivion — depth for ages.
As of today, April 17, Northwestern leads the Big Ten and is fourth nationally in draw controls per game, winning in the circle on average 16.8 times per game. That is no surprise, considering Epke’s track record dating back to her time with JMU.
The biggest question mark on this roster coming into the year was Madison Smith, who was set to rejoin the starters after leaving 2025 with an injury. The major issue was that she’d need to fill the shoes of her sister Sam, who dominated that year with 8.81 draw controls per game — 12th best mark in the country.
With a high benchmark to reach, Smith put her best foot forward to start the year. She ended each of her first nine contests with at least five draw controls, reaching double-digits three times in that span. Although she’s cooled off and has developed a problem with illegal draw violations, she remains a tough dealer in the circle when she can mitigate her issues.
Beyond Smith, Kate Ratanaproeksa and Taylor expand Amonte Hiller’s lineup options with their ability to succeed on the draw as well. Both have 30+ on the season and have looked formidable in the circle whenever given their opportunities.
On any other roster, they’d be the primary draw taker. But at NU, they barely get one or two per game. That’s an incredible problem to have.
A youthful defense, an experienced keeper. Opposite ends of the spectrum.
The defense has provided the biggest disparity this season for NU. Its 131 caused turnovers puts it right in the middle of Big Ten teams at fifth in the conference, yet Jenika Cuocco’s .494 save percentage puts her second in the conference and in the national top-10.
When looking at the composition of the defense, this makes sense. A unit led by sophomore Mary Carroll, and first-years McKenzie Brown and Reese Hansen. To ask this unit to hold top-25 teams to around eight goals a game for the entirety of the year would be quite the tall (and unrealistic) task to complete.
Hence why Cuocco was the end-all, be-all of the defense. When she underperforms, the entire defense drops in its performance. She was supposed to be the safety net for this group of youth (literally and figuratively), and she’s done a phenomenal job at doing that.
With Carroll leading this group into postseason play after tomorrow’s matchup with No. 11 Michigan, this group still has wrinkles to iron out, but it looks solid and promising after causing 10+ turnovers in four of Northwestern’s last five matchups.
Yearly Awards
Player of the Year: Madison Taylor
No surprise, and not really much to say.
Not even a legend like Izzy Scane could claim she’s scored 400 points AND 200 career draw controls. Matter of fact, this Tewaaraton nominee is the ONLY player in Big Ten history to achieve such a feat.
Fitting for the first-ever WLL College Draft pick.
Transfer of the Year: Jenika Cuocco
A job well done between the pipes this season, Cuocco has been one of the biggest engines of the Northwestern turnaround we saw in the middle of the season. In my opinion, the game that solidified her legacy was against UNC, when she made three consecutive saves at the end of the contest to keep NU alive when it seemed to be losing steam.
This was the third and final denial of her late-game streak.
Clutch? I’d say so.
First-Year of the Year: Kate Ratanaproeksa
Good luck reading the header above.
Ratanaproeska impacted the game in so many ways this season: in the fan as a nifty attacker, at midfield on the draw and even helping NU cause chaos on the defensive end.
She helped the ‘Cats put Maryland away with a goal that ended up being a difference maker in a one-goal finish.
Most Improved Player: Taylor Lapointe
When you talk about players that have consistently improved year-to-year, Lapointe embodies what it looks like to get better over time. Stacking days and perfecting your craft.
Last season, Lapointe was a reliable option off the bench. This season, she’s injected herself into the starting lineup and thrived. Especially on Long Island, where she attacked the game and willed Northwestern to a win over Stony Brook.
Play of the Year: Noel Cumberland’s 80-yard scamper downfield to score
You probably don’t remember this play, and if you don’t, I don’t blame you. This game had so many positives for NU that this gets lost in the shuffle.
And that’s a shame, because this goal was absolutely ridiculous.
Cumberland takes on the Blue Jays’ defense, basically by herself, on this play, starting from the 20-yard line and barreling downfield with no concern about what’s in front of her.
This was an awesome watch on TV and even better live and in person.
