Of the five goals junior attacker Madison Taylor scored in No. 3 Northwestern’s 15-6 thumping of Rutgers Sunday, her fifth — punched in early in the fourth quarter, well after NU pushed the game out of reach — may have been the most significant.
With about 11 minutes remaining in the contest, Taylor cradled the ball toward the top of the 8-meter. She blazed past a Scarlet Knights (8-6, 2-3 Big Ten) defender, saw an opening and fired a shot that found the top shelf.
The score padded an 12-4 Wildcats (11-2, 5-0 Big Ten) lead, but more importantly, Taylor’s emphatic finish marked her 200th career goal. She is the eighth Wildcat to eclipse that tally while playing for NU.
Through 13 games in 2025, Taylor has logged 64 goals. She’s on pace to finish the regular season with 78.
Taylor posted a five-goal, two-assist performance as NU owned the field in Piscataway, New Jersey, Sunday.
Though Rutgers started the scoring with a strike two minutes into the contest, the ’Cats slowly took control. Graduate student attacker Niki Miles knotted the game at 1-1 with a sidearm swipe. Soon after, junior attacker Lucy Munro found the back of the net, giving NU a lead it never relinquished.
The ’Cats then scored six more goals before the Scarlet Knights could respond, as they went on a 17-minute 8-0 run to take firm control of the contest. Graduate student attacker Riley Campbell, who hails from Madison, New Jersey — about a half hour’s drive from SHI Stadium — scored on her home turf during that run.
NU saw production from eight different scorers: sophomore midfielder Lauren Archer, senior midfielder Emerson Bohlig, senior midfielder Hannah Johnson, senior midfielder Sam Smith, Campbell, Miles, Munro and Taylor.
Miles, Munro and Smith each scored two goals.
The ’Cats dominated every facet of Sunday’s matchup, including a 17-7 draw control margin. Smith found vast success in the circle, corralling 12 draw controls by herself.
Defensively, NU shined. Graduate student goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer saved nine shots and only allowed five goals, good enough for a 64.3% save percentage. The ’Cats caused 16 turnovers, with graduate student defender Jane Hansen and senior defender Sammy White each causing five.
With three games left in the regular season, the ’Cats have yet to lose a Big Ten game.
NU’s next opponent is Oregon, a new conference challenger who sits polar opposite in the standings and winless in the Big Ten. The ’Cats will host the Ducks April 13 at Martin Stadium, with the first draw slated for 1 p.m.
Email: h.frieman@dailynorthwestern.com
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