Inside NU’s final Northwestern lacrosse position preview focuses on the Wildcat offense, perhaps the unit that sees the biggest upgrade from 2025.
Last season, Northwestern’s offense operated as an almost-heliocentric unit around Taylor. While graduate transfers like Niki Miles and Riley Campbell were important contributors, Taylor put up significantly higher numbers than everyone around her. This season, two highly anticipated transfers in Syrcause’s Olivia Adamson and James Madison’s Maddie Epke
will join Taylor on the attack.
Inside NU previously previewed Northwestern’s four transfers, which you can read about here. This article will focus on the Wildcats’ offensive returners.
Madison Taylor | Sr.
Northwestern and Taylor are synonymous with each other, and the stat sheet makes it obvious. In 2025, Taylor tallied a mind-boggling 109 goals and 49 assists, becoming the first player to lead the Wildcats in both categories since Alyssa Leonard in 2014. Despite being every defense’s clear No. 1 target, Taylor couldn’t be stopped on the attack, scoring at least a hat trick in all but three games she played — including a 10-goal outing in Northwestern’s second-round NCAA Tournament match against Michigan. Her playmaking also improved at the end of 2025, as she recorded four assists in NU’s final three games.
Taylor’s bread-and-butter was her free-position shot — nearly 40% of her goals were from the eight-meter arc. She is unparalleled in her athleticism and toughness, as she can force herself through contact to get good looks or draw fouls. Her speed was also a valuable asset in the draw circle and on the attack, as she recorded 53 draw controls and excelled in transition opportunities.
However, Taylor’s playing style, compounded by Northwestern’s lack of another attacker at her level, ultimately proved to be her demise in her few bad showings of 2025. UNC held her scoreless in the national title game, trapping her from getting the near-net looks she wanted and forcing her to pass to a limited number of other offensive options.
Northwestern coach Kelly Amonter Hiller told USA Lacrosse Magazine that Taylor “wasn’t trying to be who she was last year.” This season, Taylor won’t have to do it all alone, with All-American caliber attackers Epke and Adamson by her side. It wouldn’t be surprising if her numbers went down because she’ll have more support, but at the same time, this year’s roster will give her more space to excel at what she does best.
Lucy Munro | Sr.
Munro was one of the biggest beneficiaries of Northwestern graduating attackers like Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall, as her playing time shot up from just five games in 2024 to 20 in 2025. No. 33 made her first career start on Mar. 16, 2025, against Penn State and remained in the starting lineup for the rest of the season. As the only returning starting attacker alongside Taylor, expect Munro to be in NU’s first 11 with Taylor, Epke and Adamson on offense.
Last season, Munro racked up 20 goals and 17 assists, ranking fourth on Northwestern in total points. Her contributions increased significantly toward the end of Big Ten play, when she went on a four-game stretch of scoring two or more goals. She also tallied two goals in the NCAA Championship game, tying Sam Smith as NU’s leading scorer. In addition, Munro was also a great playmaker, working especially well with Taylor inside the crease.
Aditi Foster | So.
Despite her inexperience as a freshman, Foster showed early on in her career that she wasn’t afraid of big moments. She made a huge impact off the bench in the Big Ten Tournament final against Maryland, starting Northwestern’s rally out of a 6-2 deficit in the third quarter before scoring the game-winning goal with 15 seconds left. Foster went on to score fourth-quarter goals in each of NU’s final three games, including a goal that helped Northwestern overcome a six-goal deficit against Boston College in the NCAA semi-finals.
Foster didn’t start a single game last season but played 19 games and earned progressively more minutes as the season went on, recording 12 goals alongside five assists. Northwestern’s added offensive depth probably makes her the first off the bench at least to start the season, but the Wildcats will appreciate her value as one of the most explosive players on the attack.
Abby LoCascio | R-Jr.
Last season, LoCascio fit into Foster’s category as a supplemental attacking piece off the bench. The redshirt junior did make her first career start in 2025, starting games against Niagara, Colorado and Marquette while appearing in 22 total. While LoCascio played 19 games in 2024, those appearances were mostly in garbage-time minutes. In 2025, she found opportunities to make a legitimate impact when her team needed it, scoring a goal in NU’s 12-8 win over Syracuse and the opening goal of the national title game.
LoCascio is a player who would have contended for a starting spot this season had the transfer portal not existed. With the new additions, expect her to still remain a key rotation player in her third season with minutes.
Alexis Ventresca | Jr.
For the past two seasons, Ventresca has been a part of Northwestern’s second attacking unit. However, her contributions increased significantly from 2024 to 2025, as her playing time increased from three appearances in to 11. Though Ventresca scored three goals in both seasons, she also took 13 more shots in 2025 and recorded four ground balls. Ventresca’s three goals came in three consecutive games, with the final one coming in the NU-Syracuse matchup.
Jenna Soto | R-Fy.
Soto sat out 2025 with an injury, and she’ll look to make her debut in a Northwestern uniform this coming. The redshirt freshman is coming off a storied high school career, which had her ranked No. 27 in Inside Lacrosse’s Class of 2024 high school recruit rankings — second amongst NU players in her class. Her recruiting page lists her as a draw specialist and a midfielder alongside her attacking role, indicating some potential versatility on the field.
Claire Ratke | So.
Ratke appeared in eight games as a freshman, tallying just two shots. One of those shots resulted in a goal, though, coming in Northwestern’s 22-5 blowout of Niagara in February 2025. Except for NU’s 13-10 season-opener win against Notre Dame, the Winnetka, Illinois native only played in games where the Wildcats won by nine or more goals.
Rachel Weiner | R-Jr.
Rachel Weiner, the daughter of The Dan LeBatard Show co-host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner, rounds out Northwestern’s 2022 recruiting class on the attack. After redshirting the 2024 season, she played 10 games in 2025, scoring a goal against Canisius and another at Ohio State.
