No. 1 Northwestern and No. 12 Johns Hopkins’ Thursday Big Ten Tournament semifinal clash pitted a perennial powerhouse against a covetous challenger in Martin Stadium. Sixty minutes of action separated the teams from a trip to Saturday’s championship game, and every play proved pivotal.
While the Wildcats (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten) fell out of favor in the draw circle, coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s squad survived the Blue Jays’ (11-7, 2-4 Big Ten) arduous test in a 13-12 victory. With the win, NU will head to its second consecutive conference championship.
“You have to be able to win in all different types of ways,” Amonte Hiller said. “You can’t be a one-trick pony where you can only win when you win the draw … You can’t expect things to be perfect whenever you step onto the field.”
After junior defender Sammy White — who missed the teams’ mid-March matchup due to a lower-body injury — pulled down the game’s opening draw control, sophomore attacker Madison Taylor scored the afternoon’s first goal just 38 seconds into regulation.
Behind graduate student attacker Dylan Amonte’s first-quarter hat trick, the ’Cats jumped out to a 5-1 advantage. NU suffocated Johns Hopkins’ attack on the opposite end, and senior defender Kendall Halpern racked up the first two of her game-high five caused turnovers.
In the buildup to Thursday, Halpern said she wrote a message to herself on her stick that emphasized focused preparation.
“My mindset changed a little bit this week,” Halpern said. “Sometimes, I like to go with the flow, but I was a little more focused this week … Credit to my D, we had a great week of preparation, really locked in each day.”
Amid a turbulent second quarter, Blue Jay midfielder Jennifer Barry conquered the draw circle, establishing possessional superiority that helped power Johns Hopkins attacker Ava Angello’s first-half goal barrage.
Mounting a 4-1 run to end the second period, the Blue Jays cut their deficit to just 9-7 entering halftime.
“(In) that second quarter we played a ton of defense because we didn’t get a lot of draw controls,” Amonte Hiller said. “That was tough, and I thought we got a little tired.”
Johns Hopkins coach Tim McCormack’s group didn’t relent once the third quarter began. Barry and Blue Jay defender Jordan Carr commanded the circle, and their squad scored the second half’s first three goals to capture its first lead of the afternoon.
During the lopsided run, White stood on the sideline, but she returned to help hold Angello without a goal in the second half.
Staring down a 10-9 deficit midway through the third period, NU and its typical sharpshooter — graduate student attacker Izzy Scane — struggled to generate consistent looks against Johns Hopkins goalkeeper Madison Doucette.
With the team’s conference tournament fate in the balance, Taylor took over, rattling off three consecutive conversions to punch the ’Cats back in front.
“It’s fun to watch her play with a smile on her face,” Amonte Hiller said of Taylor. “Her teammates feed off her. If one person is getting stopped, another person steps up. That’s the nature of this team.”
Packing a plethora of speed and attacking finesse, the sophomore scored a game-high five goals.
Taylor said she knew the zone scheme the visitors would throw her way, and consistent communication and off-ball movement paved the way for significant success.
“If you put too much pressure on yourself toward the end of the game, sometimes you can overthink,” Taylor said. “(I’m) just trying to have fun, enjoying the time I have with this team.”
Graduate student attacker Erin Coykendall’s final tally with three and a half minutes remaining eventually marked the difference between the two teams, as NU fended off a Blue Jay attacking possession in the final 18 seconds to punch its ticket to the title bout.
The ’Cats will take on No. 15 Penn State Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions (11-6, 4-2 Big Ten) were the lone Big Ten team to knock NU off its perch this season, and the Happy Valley doldrums will likely remain fresh in the ’Cats collective memory.
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