For a program characterized by sheer dominance, a season without a national title could be viewed as a failure. But for Northwestern, national champion runner-up in 2025, a year characterized by community, hope and belief was a story worth telling.
“Go For It,” a documentary released Thursday on YouTube, follows the Wildcats’ road back to the national championship game, with notable moments intertwined with player spotlights and relevant moments from previous seasons.
“It’s just a cool way to tell different parts of the story and keep you engaged,” director Jack Sullivan said.
The team’s “director of creative content” has now directed a documentary on NU’s past four seasons.
Ahead of the ’Cats’ trip to Boston for the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship, Sullivan interviewed five players. The following days became the documentary’s primary focus, as he focused on the team before and after its win over Boston College in the semifinals.
One of the players he spoke to during that week was then-senior defender Sammy White, who was an integral part of NU’s defense during her four years and had just played her final home game. Sullivan said White also helped out behind the scenes.
“She had to come up with some video for a class project,” Sullivan said. “So that was kind of lucky for me.”
Outside of the semifinal game coverage, the documentary loosely follows some of the year’s significant contests, along with personal stories from select players. Sullivan said being around the team allowed him to understand the roles certain players had and who deserved more coverage.
During the first half of the documentary, Sullivan tells the stories of three different players. After showing some of the Boston footage and the ’Cats’ early-season loss to Boston College, he talks to then-senior midfielder Emerson Bohlig and her family about lacrosse and coming to NU.
Bohlig’s mother, Tami, played lacrosse and field hockey at NU.
Bohlig and then-senior midfielder Sam Smith are both from California, which Sullivan said is a “non-traditional” area for lacrosse players to come from. He also included Smith because he said she hasn’t always received the attention she deserves as an “absolute workhouse” for the team.
Smith discussed her sister, Madison, and how they drove each other to improve as they grew up. In one game last season, Sam was sick and unable to play, and Madison filled in for her. At one point, Madison fell and tore her ACL, ending her season.
“She was just so positive,” Smith said in the documentary. “It was so incredible to see how strong and resilient she was through this whole process.”
Sullivan included another story about an injury. Then-graduate student defender Claire Snyder has experienced three ACL tears during her time as a ’Cat, and Sullivan showed footage of her rehabbing in 2024.
A common theme throughout the entire documentary is community, as several players emphasized how great it has been to be part of NU.
“It’s the most inclusive group I’ve ever been a part of,” then-freshman attacker Claire Ratke said in the documentary. “We all can be our true, authentic selves, and we set aside our differences to come together for one shared goal, which I think is really special.”
After 45 minutes of build-up, the documentary reached its climax when NU faced Boston College in the semifinal. Sullivan replays the comeback victory and the game’s final moments before sealing the documentary with more footage of celebrations and team bonding.
Two days later, the ’Cats lost their second straight national championship game since winning it all in 2023. However, the detail of last season’s defeat sits on-screen for about five seconds in the final minute of the documentary.
Sullivan said the importance of the Boston College game stood out, given that NU had lost to the Eagles earlier last season and in the previous national championship game. The ’Cats put all their energy into their semifinal win, which is what the documentary leads up to, and he said everyone on the team is going to remember that win.
NU will look to start a win streak over Boston College in its season opener on Feb. 6.
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