According to the NCAA Tournament committee, Northwestern is the top team in the land.
Prime positioning for a team in search of redemption.
In the past two iterations of the NCAA Tournament, NU has finished as the runner-up. Last season, North Carolina shattered the dreams of a magical run in Foxborough and Boston College broke the hearts of the Lake Show with a late-game comeback in the final five minutes of the season.
This season, however, is different.
For the first time in a long time, the NCAA Lacrosse Final Four in both sports will be hosted in collegiate venues. The committee has chosen Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium to serve as the inaugural site in this “new era” of the women’s lacrosse championship tournament.
A site that’s seen box office moment after box office moment plays host to the three most important games of the season.
The grounds of Madison Taylor’s history making 10-goal game against Michigan in last year’s tournament and her 300th career goal will play host to the national championship game.
Fate? Destiny? Seems to be the inevitable is upon us: Taylor’s elusive national title, post Izzy Scane era.
But a host of programs seek to knock off the ‘Cats on their way to their ninth title in program history.
The Defending Champs: North Carolina
After suffering a regular season overtime loss to Northwestern that effectively ended their bid for the no. 1 overall seed, the Tar Heels are on a tear to rewrite the narrative that NU has figured them out.
The ‘Cats proved to be the only adversary that they couldn’t overcome in pre-NCAA Tournament play, as they sit at 16-1 and have ran the table in the ACC. UNC won its last seven games by an average of five goals per contest to finish the year with the nation’s best +10.71 scoring margin. At the forefront of the effort for a second straight year is Chloe Humphrey, the reigning Tewaaraton winner, who leads the nation with 92 goals and is considered the best player in the nation right now. She’s haunted NU time and time again, even in defeat, as she finished with six goals in the March loss and there’s no telling what she’s got in store for a potential Northwestern-North Carolina final.
One loss across the past two seasons is absolutely absurd and much of that credit must be handed to one of the greatest coaches in the sport’s history in Jenny Levy. Her 46 wins in the NCAA Tournament is a testament to the recruiting ability, schematic knowledge and adjustability she has.
UNC is the biggest threat to the ‘Cats, but may not even get the chance to up-end them in the national championship game.
A Fading Dynasty: Maryland
Seven years ago, Maryland found itself in its own backyard in Baltimore winning its 14th national title over Boston College, 12-10. At the time, the program was the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the greatest of all time.
But since 2019, the Terps’ haven’t been in the national championship game. They’ve only appeared in the Final Four once since the turn of the decade and have exited in the second round three times, most recently being booted by Penn in a shocker that ignited the lacrosse world. This year, they play host to another regional in College Park, with the intentions of leaving no doubt and rising out of it to contend for a national title.
There’s no doubt that Cathy Reese and company have extra reason to gun at Northwestern in hopes of derailing them off their Cinderella-esque run to a national championship at home. After losing its last three matchups against the ‘Cats by a single goal — one of those being an extremely physical regular season tilt, the other two the Big Ten Tournament Championship — one can only imagine the hunger that infatuates the Terrapins in their search for their first win over NU since 2022.
Ms. Underrated: Syracuse
An anticlimactic end to the Orange’s run in the ACC Tournament seemed to rub the committee the wrong way, as they’ve selected to relegate them to first round play.
However, this was the team that held NU to its lowest scoring output of the season. ACC Goalkeeper of the Year Daniella Guyette put a lid on the cage with eight saves in that contest, while her defense caused a Northwestern season-worst 21 turnovers as Molly Guzik lifted ‘Cuse with a career-best six goals.
Guyette is the puzzle NU couldn’t figure out, and if Syracuse comes out of College Park with a Final Four berth, she’ll be the biggest threat to the ‘Cats in a potential national championship showdown. She finished the regular season with a .509 save percentage against ranked opponents and a 7.81 goals against average, a marginal second in the conference.
The committee chose not to seed Syracuse, but that doesn’t take away from its strength as a program. Orange in the Final Four would be a scary sight.
A Final Word: Cardiac ‘Cats May Magic
19 days from now will mark two years to the day of Northwestern’s remarkable comeback over Boston College in the Final Four. The most improbable and unbelievable of comebacks restored a magic that hadn’t seemed to be with the program since it climbed to the mountaintop in 2023.
After its 2024 national championship loss and a deflating regular season defeat to the Eagles, it seemed as though BC had NU’s number. After the 15th of February, all heads turned to Gillette Stadium, where everyone was sure that the two teams would square off again.
Those folks were right, and those folks would see a performance that reflected those put on by the all-time great teams in NU history. Not just the Izzy Scane era, but the Kristen Kjellman and Hannah Nielsen eras as well.
Annabel Child’s game winner to win the Big Ten Tournament title was another reflection of that same historic pedigree and should be taken as a signal that this NU team is primed and ready to carry on the legacy of previous years.
