As No. 3 Northwestern led 7-6 with 95 seconds remaining in its Big Ten Tournament title clash with No. 7 Maryland Sunday, trouble struck.
Junior attacker Madison Taylor, the team’s top scorer, received her second yellow card, disqualifying her for the remainder of the game and leaving the Wildcats (16-2, 8-0 Big Ten) a player down.
With their newfound advantage, the Terrapins (14-5, 7-1 Big Ten) converted the game-tying goal, leaving 64 seconds — or, if necessary, overtime — to decide the Big Ten champion.
Senior midfielder Sam Smith controlled the draw. Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller called a timeout to scheme an attack with 62 seconds remaining.
The clock read 16 seconds as senior midfielder Emerson Bohlig fired a pass to cutting freshman attacker Aditi Foster, who found an open look at goal with only Terrapin goalkeeper JJ Suriano to beat.
Foster’s shot ripped into the back of the net, and the ’Cats found themselves up 8-7 — the Big Ten Championship all but in their grasp.
The clock read zeroes fifteen seconds later as NU descended upon graduate student goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer, their 8-7 victory secured over Maryland.
Since the Big Ten began sponsoring women’s lacrosse in 2015, there have been 10 Big Ten Tournaments. The ’Cats have won five of them.
Foster, graduate student attacker Niki Miles and Taylor each scored two goals, with Taylor adding an assist. Bohlig scored a goal and tallied an assist, while sophomore midfielder Noel Cumberland rounded out the scoring.
The Terrapins took control from the game’s outset.
Maryland’s leading scorer, Kori Edmondson, punched in a free-position goal two and a half minutes into the game. Taylor answered with a diving goal, splitting a double team to equalize the contest three minutes later.
But Maryland pulled away, scoring three straight goals to take a 4-1 lead with 10 minutes left in the second quarter, as they stymied the NU attack. Suriano made 11 saves in the first half en route to an 18-save outing, tying the tournament record for saves in a game.
Miles finally broke through with 9:38 left in the second quarter, poking a tight-angle shot past Suriano to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Maryland added another goal midway through the second frame and carried a 5-2 lead into halftime. It extended the margin to 6-2 halfway through the third quarter.
Then, the ’Cats turned the game on its head.
Foster fired a rocket from the top of the 8-meter to trim the deficit to 6-3. Foster hasn’t started a game this season but logged key minutes coming off the bench Sunday. The Ambler, Pennsylvania, native has scored eight goals and tallied three assists this season.
About 45 seconds later, Miles scored a spinning goal, her second of the contest, to make it a 6-4 game. Miles logged her 10th straight multi-goal game and 12th of the season. The Penn transfer has been perhaps Amonte Hiller’s most valuable offseason addition.
Cumberland charged through the fan as the third quarter wound down and drove a strike past Suriano to cut the Terrapin lead to 6-5 heading into the final frame.
The fourth quarter remained a stalemate until the three-minute mark, when Bohlig slung a sly sidearm shot to knot the contest at six apiece.
Sixteen seconds later, a charging Taylor whipped a howitzer to take the lead.
Meanwhile, NU’s defense held its ground and then some, as the Terrapins scored just one goal in the game’s final 22 minutes. Graduate student defender Jane Hansen caused three turnovers en route to winning the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award.
Five ’Cats were named to the All-Tournament team: Hansen, Smith, Sweitzer, Taylor and senior defender Sammy White.
Foster’s game-winning goal, which cemented her name in ’Cats lacrosse history, spelled an NU victory. The win marks the fourth time the team has swept the regular season and conference titles.
The win also spells an automatic bid to this year’s NCAA tournament. It is safe to assume that the ’Cats will receive a seed within the top four, meaning they will host the first, second and quarterfinal rounds in Evanston. And, if they are ranked within the top four, they will have a first-round bye.
The bracket will be released on a selection show airing May 4.
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