Three weeks after defeating then-No. 4 Johns Hopkins in the regular season, No. 3 Northwestern once again knocked off the Blue Jays in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament Friday.
The Wildcats (15-2, 8-0 Big Ten), the Big Ten’s top squad, continued to assert their dominance over the conference Friday in their 16-15 nailbiter win over the Blue Jays, (12-6, 5-3 Big Ten) the fifth seed in the tournament. NU won both games over its East Coast opponent this season, including an 18-5 thrashing earlier this month.
Graduate student attacker Niki Miles led the team with six points, tallying five goals and one assist. Junior attacker Madison Taylor added five points of her own, scoring four goals. The nation’s leading scorer has notched at least three goals in every game but one this season.
This matchup began similarly to the ’Cats’ two most recent games with an early deficit. Despite a goal in the fourth minute from sophomore midfielder Lauren Archer, NU found itself trailing 2-1 after two Johns Hopkins goals in two minutes.
The ’Cats soon retook the lead, and though they would not fall behind for the remainder of the match, the score remained tight. NU held a 3-2 lead through the first quarter thanks to goals from Miles and Taylor and five saves from graduate student goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer.
Four different ’Cats scored in the second quarter, including three in the first four minutes. Johns Hopkins fought back, lowering its deficit back to one. The final six minutes of the quarter passed quietly, and the teams went into the break with NU leading 7-6.
The two squads continued to exchange goals in the third quarter — the ’Cats unable to pull away and the Blue Jays unable to tie the game. With just over two minutes remaining in the period, senior midfielder Sam Smith found the back of the net to put NU up 13-10. Johns Hopkins answered back soon after, and the quarter came to close with the ’Cats holding on to a 13-11 lead.
NU led off the fourth quarter with a score as they had done throughout the contest, but despite grabbing a four-goal lead, the match was far from over. A 4-1 scoring run from the Blue Jays brought the ’Cats’ lead to just one with four minutes remaining.
NU allowed just two shots in the final four minutes, both saved by Sweitzer. The ’Cats held on to their one-goal lead and secured the victory. It was their closest match against a Big Ten opponent, a title previously held by their eight-point victory over Ohio State.
NU triumphed on the draw control 18-16, with 11 coming in the second half. Smith led the team with 13 and also logged two goals.
Graduate student attacker Riley Campbell recorded two goals, her fourth-straight game with multiple. Sophomore midfielder Taylor Lapointe added two points, notching one goal and one assist. She has come off the bench in all but three contests, totaling 29 points.
Graduate student defender Jane Hansen tallied two ground balls and two caused turnovers. Taylor also grabbed two ground balls.
The ’Cats will look to nab their third-straight Big Ten Tournament championship against the No. 2-seed, No. 7 nationally-ranked Maryland on Sunday. First draw is set for 3 p.m.
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