After an opening 3-0 Wildcat deficit, it was all Lake Show the rest of the way.
Ominous dark clouds morphed into a pitch-black sky as the Lake Show performed under the lights on Thursday at Martin Stadium. The foreboding scene ended up being a bad sign for Michigan, whereas Northwestern handled the rain and winds with ease.
The Wildcats (13-2, 7-0 B1G) steamrolled Michigan (10-5, 4-3 B1G) 15-6, clinching at least a share of the Big Ten regular season title for the third season in a row. NU was led by six goals and two assists from Madison Taylor, four goals from Niki Miles and three goals from Riley Campbell. The ‘Cats won the draw control battle 17-8, with 14 of NU’s draw controls coming from the stick of Sam Smith.
Michigan was headed by two goals from Kaylee Dyer. After an early 3-0 lead, the Wolverines were outscored 15-3 in the remaining three quarters.
The ‘Cats blew away their all-time attendance mark, drawing a record 3,503 fans for the nighttime contest. The previous record was just 2,012, set at the Big Ten tournament in 2024.
Smith won the opening draw for the ‘Cats, and just 28 seconds into the game, Taylor picked up an early free-position attempt. She couldn’t get a shot off, turning the ball over on a crease violation instead, but Michigan was unable to clear, gifting the Wildcats another offensive possession. Wolverine goalkeeper Erin O’Grady saved the ensuing shot from Miles, allowing Michigan to threaten offensively for the first time. With 12:17 to go in the first quarter, Julia Schwabe connected on Michigan’s first shot of the game, lifting the Maize and Blue to an early 1-0 lead.
Michigan was victorious in the center circle, and both teams traded empty possessions until Emma Bradbury’s point-blank shot was deflected by Northwestern goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer. The Wolverines retained possession, but the ‘Cats fought them off with stellar defense until the referees issued a yellow card to U-M’s Peyton Shreves. Despite the card, the Wildcats couldn’t get going and with 4:11 to go, Wolverine attacker Jill Smith scored on a woman-down free-position shot to extend the lead to 2-0.
Smith won the next draw for NU, but once again, the Wildcats failed to take off on offense. Instead, it was Michigan’s Jane Fetterolf who added to the scoring next, picking up her sixth goal of the season with 1:37 to go in the first. Northwestern’s first-quarter offensive output looked about as bleak as the sinister clouds at Martin Stadium, but Miles managed to pick the Wildcats up out of their rut, whipping one past O’Grady into the bottom-right corner of the net to cut the deficit to 3-1. From there, the first quarter came to a close, with the ‘Cats still trailing by two.
Northwestern’s Smith took control and promptly turned the ball over at the start of the second, but later, with 12:12 to go in the second period, Taylor capitalized on a free position, reducing the Wildcat deficit to one. Less than a minute later, Northwestern’s Taylor Lapointe got a free-position chance of her own, but the sophomore couldn’t tie the score, giving the Wolverines possession. On a later possession, Taylor was whacked and got another free-position opportunity, but that time, she couldn’t find net. The score remained 3-2 despite a prime chance from Miles, who fired a diving shot into the net but was called for a crease violation. At last, with 7:02 remaining in the first half, the crowd erupted when Campbell tied the score on a free position.
Campbell had a shot deflected with 6:28 on the clock, and Emerson Bohlig’s subsequent free-position shot went high, keeping things knotted up at three apiece. The ‘Cats continued the offensive pressure, adding another Taylor goal to take the lead for the first time after an initial 3-0 hole. Campbell furthered the offensive onslaught with her second goal of the game at 2:48 on the clock. 41 seconds later, it appeared Taylor had secured a hat trick by tiptoeing around the crease and getting off a diving shot, but an official review revealed she barely stepped into the crease. Still, the ‘Cats held a 5-3 lead, and Miles picked up the team’s sixth goal with 1:09 on the clock, fooling O’Grady and bouncing a shot into the back of the net.
The ‘Cats weren’t done yet. With 17.2 seconds to go in the half, Abby LoCascio blew another ball past O’Grady. However, with 5.9 seconds left, Sweitzer committed her first foul of the season, resulting in a rare empty-net free-position shot, which Dyer converted with ease. At the half, NU led 7-4, having outscored Michigan 6-1 in the second frame.
The Wildcats continued to threaten on offense at the start of the third quarter. With a yellow card issued to U-M’s Grace Callahan, Taylor took advantage, converting her third goal of the game to extend the lead to 8-4. A short while later, a free-position attempt from Michigan’s Calli Norris was stifled by Sweitzer. After a brief drought, NU found the scoreboard next, as Miles secured a hat trick of her own with 8:04 remaining in the third. Three minutes later, Taylor picked up her fourth goal of the game and 75th of the season, putting the Wildcats in double-digits with a 10-4 lead.
On the next possession, Norris clanked a shot off the post, narrowly missing U-M’s first goal of the second half. The ‘Cats stormed down the field, and Taylor tacked on another goal with 3:44 on the timer, extending the Wildcat advantage to seven. At 1:58 on the clock, Miles added yet another, and 38 seconds later, Smith put up more insurance, giving NU a 13-4 edge that it maintained through the end of the third quarter.
With 14:16, Taylor finished off a free position for her sixth goal of the game, starting up the running clock. A goal by Campbell added further cushion, but Michigan responded with a free-position score from Shreves, its first goal since the second quarter. The Wolverines managed to halt the running clock on a goal from Dyer with 6:55 to go in the fourth. Still, it wasn’t enough, as the Wildcats coasted from there to a 15-6 victory.
To round out their regular season, the Wildcats will travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State. That matchup will take place on Saturday at 12 PM CT. A win against the Buckeyes or a loss by Maryland will give Northwestern sole possession of the Big Ten regular season title.