ANN ARBOR, Mich. — When graduate student midfielder Annabel Child secured the ground ball, five seconds remained in overtime of the Big Ten Championship. She ran toward the top of the 8-meter fan as the seconds painfully ticked away.
As Child slid to the ground, she slotted a shot into the back of the net between two Maryland defenders, clinching Northwestern’s fourth consecutive Big Ten Tournament title.
The Wildcats (15-3, 7-1 Big Ten) defeated the Terrapins (16-3, 6-2 Big Ten) 8-7 at U-M Lacrosse Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Sunday afternoon. The win marks NU’s seventh straight victory over Maryland.
Seventy seconds before Child’s game-winner, graduate student goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco corralled her 18th save, matching her career high. Cuocco was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after posting a 65.9% save percentage, recording 27 saves and allowing 14 goals in NU’s two games.
“We leaned on each other,” Cuocco said postgame. “We knew that the team that was going to stay the most composed was going to win the game, and we leaned into that. We knew that we were in the driver’s seat.”
NU led 7-3 early in the fourth quarter, just 11 minutes away from putting the contest on ice, until Maryland rattled off four unanswered goals to level the game. During the run, the Terrapins won four of the five draws and outdrew the ’Cats 10-6 in the game. It marked just the second time in the last 12 games NU lost the draw — the first of which also came against Maryland, on April 9.
The Terrapins had possession of the ball with a chance to win the game and ran the clock down to less than 30 seconds. In an aggressive play, redshirt sophomore midfielder Madison Smith ran toward Terrapins attacker Jordyn Lipkin and forced a turnover, stifling Maryland’s momentum and sending the game to overtime tied at 7-7.
“Shoutout Madi Smith at the end, with that risk that she took,” Cuocco said. “She knew that everyone was gonna have her back. She’s had a great game, even with the draws, and she was really our rock today.”
Though the ’Cats’ defense faltered before the narrow overtime win, the team built an early lead thanks in part to a 33-minute scoring drought from Maryland. The 3-1 halftime score marked the lowest-scoring first half ever in a final of the Big Ten Tournament, the first of which came in 2015.
Despite zero goals by either team in the second quarter, the period was far from lacking in action. The squads combined for 16 shots, 14 ground balls and 11 turnovers as well as five penalty cards that were all issued to NU.
Each team had its fair share of scoring opportunities, including two separate occasions where it seemed as though the ’Cats got on the board. A shot from sophomore attacker Aditi Foster touched part of the net before bouncing out off the crossbar, and a later goal from junior midfielder Taylor Lapointe was disallowed due to a dangerous follow-through.
In the final minute of the half, the Terrapins earned a golden two-player-up opportunity as Lapointe and Epke sat on the sidelines with penalties. Despite the advantage, Cuocco corralled her 10th save of the first 30 minutes and sent Maryland into halftime with just one goal.
The scoring picked up early in the third quarter as NU nabbed some insurance scores. Child found the back of the net twice in the span of three minutes, giving the ’Cats a 5-1 lead. After the Terrapins broke their scoring drought with a goal from attacker Maisy Clevenger, Foster answered back with one of her own.
Child finished the game with a team-high and career-high three goals on three shots. Foster’s two goals were the second-most on the team.
NU entered Sunday averaging more than 15 goals per game, and part of its offensive struggles were due to senior attacker Madison Taylor, who missed her final 11 shots after scoring on her first attempt. Despite the ’Cats’ scoring woes, they still held a four-goal lead.
But as the game entered crunch time, the script flipped on its head.
A reinvigorated Maryland offense ventured on a 5-1 scoring run, tying the contest with 1:46 left on the clock in regulation. The Terrapins’ second-to-last goal was their first score with a player advantage, as NU was 9-for-9 on penalty kills prior to that point.
The ensuing neck-and-neck ending was nothing new for coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, who acknowledged the pattern of her team playing in tight games.
“I think it’s just having that mentality, like when you’re a kid, that’s what you dream about — to be in those moments,” Amonte Hiller said.
On the opening possession of overtime, Cuocco made a save to keep the ’Cats alive for another possession. Lapointe seemed to nab the game-winner just a few minutes later, but it was disallowed due to a crease violation. Cuocco stopped two more shots when Maryland went back on offense, setting up Child to score as time expired.
NU’s bench stormed the field as Child’s shot hit the back of the net, and when the goal was confirmed by a video review, the celebration officially began for the conference tournament champions.
“The belief, it never wavers,” Foster said postgame. “It’s just so amazing to be on this team, and everyone just believes in everyone so much.”
The win clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the ’Cats. They will wait to see their seeding during the selection show on May 3 at 8 p.m.
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