Just days after defeating USC in Los Angeles, No. 3 Northwestern made the cross-country trip to take on No. 4 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. The contest brought high stakes — both programs were searching for sole possession of first place in the conference.
The contest versus the Blue Jays (9-3, 3-1 Big Ten) marked the fourth ranked team and third top-5 ranked team the Wildcats (10-2, 4-0 Big Ten) have faced in their last four games. Despite its difficult schedule, NU remained undefeated in conference play by making quick work of Johns Hopkins, prevailing 18-5 Thursday evening.
Junior attacker Madison Taylor notched a team-high eight points with four goals and four assists. Graduate student attacker Niki Miles also added five points. Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s squad is now undefeated against Johns Hopkins since 2014 and has not lost in Baltimore in over 20 years.
Despite both teams having some of the best-ranked offensive players in the conference, the game started relatively slow on the field. Two turnovers by each squad kept the score knotted at 0-0 through the first few minutes.
In the fourth minute, Johns Hopkins struck first with a goal from its leading scorer and attacker Ashley Mackin. However, just 32 seconds later, NU quickly answered back as Taylor netted her team-leading 56th goal of the season.
The offensive momentum kicked off from there. Over the next five minutes, the ’Cats added five goals from five different players. The team’s defense stepped up as well, allowing zero shots on goal and winning the turnover margin that period.
After two late Blue Jay goals brought the score to 6-3, redshirt sophomore attacker Abby LoCascio kicked off the second quarter with a first-minute goal for the ’Cats. NU finished the match with nine players in the scoring column.
NU’s exceptional performance on the draw, winning by a 19-7 margin, spearheaded many of their offensive opportunities. Senior midfielder Sam Smith tallied 12 of the team’s 19 draw controls.
Senior midfielder Emerson Bohlig found the back of the net midway through the second quarter, extending the lead to 10-4. Taylor assisted on the goal, marking her fourth of the game — her career-best for a single game.
Looking to extend the lead two minutes into the third quarter, sophomore midfielder Taylor Lapointe recorded her third goal. In the process, she notched her second hat trick of the season. This brought the ’Cats’ lead to 10, starting the running clock, as the visitors pulled away for good.
All three goalkeepers saw action late in this contest, with the trio holding Johns Hopkins scoreless in the second half. Graduate student Delaney Sweitzer recorded six saves and allowed just five goals in her 51 minutes. Redshirt sophomore Fran Argentieri recorded five saves, and senior Cara Nugent tallied one save.
Junior attacker Lucy Munro recorded her first career hat trick and was one of four NU players with at least two goals. Bohlig tallied two goals and one assist, registering her fourth game this season with at least three points. Senior defender Sammy White notched her second goal of the season, along with scooping three ground balls and three draw controls.
The ’Cats’ road trip continues as they head to Rutgers Sunday. The first draw is set for 12 p.m CT.
Email: j.mcclure@dailynorthwestern.com
X: @jemccl125
Related Stories:
—Lacrosse: No. 3 Northwestern pulls ahead of No. 18 USC in wire-to-wire 17-8 West Coast win
—Lacrosse: Early onslaught sets the tone in No. 3 Northwestern’s 16-4 takedown of No. 4 Maryland
—Lacrosse: Northwestern trucks past Penn State 16-7 for first Big Ten win of the season
