After consecutive home losses to No. 14 Syracuse and unranked Ohio State, No. 11 Northwestern (6-3, 1-1 B1G) got back in the win column in a big way with a 17-3 trouncing of Oregon (6-4, 0-2 B1G) on Saturday afternoon contest in Eugene.
Following Northwestern’s shocking loss to Ohio State on March 15 — its first home loss to the Buckeyes since 2003 — coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said the team needed to start anew. Who knew an evergreen getaway was all they needed.
For much of the game, the ’Cats controlled
the field and dominated the draw, winning 16 compared to Oregon’s six. The purple and white were also efficient offensively, converting on 85% of their 20 shots on goal, while the Ducks managed 60% on just five total attempts.
Behind nine unique scorers, Madison Taylor led the charge with 10 points on seven goals and three assists. With Saturday’s showing, Taylor has officially accrued 407 points in her career, joining Izzy Scane as the second Wildcat all-time to reach 400 points. Her seven goals also shot her up to second on Northwestern’s all-time goalscorer leaderboard. The next involved behind Taylor were Mary Carroll, Aditi Foster and Abby LoCascio, who each gathered three points apiece.
Despite the lopsided result, the two teams were relatively even in turnovers (NU 15 vs UO 16), highlighting one of the few areas where Oregon kept pace.
Both teams struggled offensively to start the first quarter. For the opening 11 minutes, neither side could break through, but the ’Cats still looked to be the more dangerous team, attempting four shots to Oregon’s one. After the Ducks’ fourth foul, however, Taylor lined up for her second free-position attempt of the day. Sprinting into the eight-meter arc, she bounced the ball into the turf to send it one hop into the back of the net, opening the scoring for the Northwestern squad.
After a brief exchange of turnovers, the Wildcats settled in and executed a clean clear. Working behind the cage, Olivia Adamson looked for an avenue before finding Taylor cutting into space. Adamson delivered a crisp feed over the net, and Taylor buried it in one motion for her first, and Northwestern’s second, goal of the day.
For the next minute, it was draw controls and goals for the Wildcats. Taylor Lapointe and Taylor each found the back of the net with only 30 seconds between the two. Even a won draw by the green and yellow couldn’t thwart the flames under Northwestern’s shoes, as Jenna Soto tacked on another goal to put the ’Cats up five to zip before the period’s end.
Hungry for a taste of their own, the Ducks quickly flocked into the attack and within 30 seconds, junior Lyla Hurley tossed one up and in to get her team on the board. Digging their claws in, the ’Cats won the ensuing draw courtesy of Maddie Epke and wasted no time responding. After a shot missed wide right by Taylor, she quickly redeemed herself after she lasered one in for her fourth goal of the day.
From there, Oregon’s scoring drought stretched on despite multiple draw controls, but Northwestern couldn’t capitalize either. The next several minutes devolved into a back-and-forth battle of turnovers, penalties and missed opportunities, with a failed clear and a pair of off-target shots stalling the Wildcats’ momentum.
Finally, on a free-position attempt, Foster charged in and fired into the cage, snapping Northwestern’s brief scoring gap before Hannah Rudolph added another to give the Wildcats a 10–1 lead heading into halftime.
Northwestern won the draw to open the third quarter, but a quick turnover followed by a green card on Madison Smith and a team foul gave Oregon a free position, which it quickly capitalized on. The Ducks’ Anna Simmons charged the cage and made a low shot past Jenika Cuocco, who couldn’t twist enough to make the stop, trimming the deficit to eight.
Not letting up, the ’Cats immediately responded with back-to-back goals, one from Taylor and one from Ratanaproeksa, to get back what they lost and more. Locking up the Northwestern defense, the Ducks forced another seven-minute drought plagued by fouls, plenty of turnovers and a couple missed shots.
LoCascio was finally the one to break free, and after her unguarded rocket into the side of the net, a free position goal by Annabel Child wasn’t too far behind. Heading into the last quarter, the purple and white led 14-2.
The Ducks scored within the first five minutes of play in the fourth but went silent soon after. Though Oregon took three shots in the remaining 10 minutes, two were saved by Francesca Argentieri, who checked in for the fourth, and the other was off target. Three goals from Noel Cumberland, Taylor and Locascio in the final nine minutes extended the final score to 17-3 and sealed Northwestern’s first conference win.
On Mar. 25, the ’Cats travel to Chapel Hill for an anticipated rematch with No. 1 North Carolina, a game sure to carry plenty of emotion. The last time the two programs met was in Foxborough for the national championship, where NU fell 12-8. With plenty at stake and a Wildcat team working to find its midseason footing, only time will tell who comes out on top.
