In the final regular season game at Martin Stadium, No. 2 Northwestern extended its win streak to seven games with an 18-6 trouncing of No. 22 Rutgers on Wednesday evening.

The 12-point win marks the Wildcats’ (12-3, 6-1 Big Ten) largest margin of victory since their 17-3 win over Oregon. NU is now 8-1 in games against ranked opponents, with its sole loss coming against then-No. 14 Syracuse on March 12. 

“We really didn’t have it together in the beginning of the season,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said postgame. “I think the group has really committed to preparation, committed to playing for each other, so it’s exciting to see them gain some momentum.”

With the win over the Scarlet Knights (10-6, 4-3 Big Ten), the ’Cats took sole possession of first place in the conference, moving one game ahead of No. 3 Maryland in the standings.

Senior attacker Madison Taylor, the reigning IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week, posted a game-high eight points, tallying six goals and two assists. It was her seventh game this season with at least eight points. Sophomore attacker Aditi Foster and junior midfielder Noel Cumberland both added hat tricks.

Graduate student goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco made 10 saves while allowing just five goals.

Despite the blowout final score, the box score displayed a number of close values. NU outshot Rutgers 32-27, won the draw 14-9 and picked up two more ground balls. However, the ’Cats committed a season-high 22 turnovers.

NU controlled the game’s opening draw, and by the time it won its fourth draw, the hosts held a 4-0 lead. The ’Cats committed five turnovers throughout the 12-minute stretch, and though Rutgers attempted six shots, it was unable to score, with Cuocco tallying four saves. The visitors scored one time before the end of the quarter, but three goals was the smallest deficit they would face for the rest of the contest. 

Taylor, Foster and NU’s defense dominated in the second quarter. The two attackers scored all four of the ’Cats’ goals, while the team allowed just one score. NU seemed to have scored two more goals during the quarter, but makes from Foster and junior midfielder Taylor Lapointe were disallowed.

At the end of the first half, the ’Cats led 8-2, with Taylor already completing her hat trick. NU took advantage of an 8-2 lead in the draw and seven fouls from the Scarlet Knights, despite committing 13 first-half turnovers.

“(The offense) was really sharing the ball, making each other look good,” Amonte Hiller said. “But it wasn’t perfect. I think we had some unforced turnovers, so we gotta clean that up for Saturday.”

The third quarter brought much of the same for the ’Cats’ offense, as they tallied six goals from four unique scorers. NU also recorded assists on four of the six goals. It was part of an 8-2 scoring run that stretched into the fourth quarter, during which the ’Cats claimed a double-digit lead.

Both squads made goalie changes in the fourth quarter, with redshirt junior goalkeeper Francesca Argentieri going between the pipes for NU after goalkeeper Simone Koryszewski entered the game for Rutgers.

The ’Cats still outscored their opponent in the fourth quarter despite pulling their starters from the game, with redshirt freshman attacker Jenna Soto and freshman attacker Gabriella McCollester both finding the back of the net. 

When the final buzzer sounded, NU sealed its seventh straight win after starting the season with a 5-3 record. 

“We know that there’s gonna be ups and downs from a game.” Taylor said postgame, “I think before we were kind of struggling to reset from the plays we didn’t want to make, and now we’re doing a better job of focusing, resetting and just enjoying playing with each other.” 

Lapointe tallied two goals and two assists, marking her fourth four-point game of the season. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Madison Smith picked up five ground balls, caused three turnovers and controlled three draws. Senior attacker Maddie Epke packed the stat sheet with one goal, one assist, five draw controls and two ground balls.

Though Wednesday’s contest marked the final regular-season game at Martin Stadium, there will still be more lacrosse played on the shores of Lake Michigan this season. NU will play host to the NCAA DI Women’s Lacrosse Championship, and it will also host first-round, second-round and quarterfinal matchups if it earns a top-4 seed.

Amonte Hiller, however, isn’t looking beyond Saturday’s regular-season finale against No. 11 Michigan. A win secures the top seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament and a first-round bye for the ’Cats, which will play their fourth straight game on two days’ rest.

“We’re just thinking about the game that we’re in,” Amonte Hiller said. “We’re not looking anywhere but where our feet are.”

First draw against the Wolverines is set for 5 p.m.

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