Stick Season, Week Eight: Coming to terms

Close, but no cigar.

Another week, another iteration of Stick Season. We have two games to discuss in this column: No. 3 Northwestern’s 15-12 loss to No. 2 North Carolina on March 27 and its 17-8 win over No. 18 USC. Given how important a game it was on NU’s schedule, the bulk of our focus is on the UNC game, but we’ll highlight USC too.

I was unable to watch Northwestern play UNC live on March 27. I had been in Federal Way, Washington, covering the NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships for SwimSwam, and could only follow the Lake Show through the sporadic refreshing of StatBroadcast. But through these checkups, I could pick up on the game’s key moments, like when the Wildcats were up 8-5 on the Tar Heels with 2:17 left until halftime.

As I went back to watching Florida’s Josh Liendo and Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks duke it out in the 50-yard freestyle, that scoreline was in my head. For the first time this season, it crossed my mind that this Northwestern team winning a national championship was possible.

The next time I refreshed StatBroadcast, I wasn’t as optimistic. UNC capitalized on Northwestern’s scoreless third quarter, as the score had gone from 8-5 to 8-13 with 12:07 left in the fourth. In the end, the better, higher-ranked team in UNC had won.

Eventually, I did go back to watch a replay of the game. Even after fully seeing what unfolded, my twinge of hope from that 8-5 lead remained, even if it may not be a national title. Why? Because it gave me, more than ever, a clear idea of Northwestern’s status as a team relative to the rest of the nation.

The Wildcats may not have an across-the-board elite, experienced squad like No. 1 Boston College. Nor do they have several “next big thing”-esque blue chip recruits and crazy depth like North Carolina. It’s well-established that BC and UNC are in a league of their own right now, while Northwestern leads the “best-of-the-rest” category. However, that doesn’t mean that NU has to stay complacent.

BC and UNC have looked like world-beaters for most of 2025, defeating all their non-NU opponents by six or more goals. However, Northwestern pushed both teams to their maximum. You could argue that wasn’t the case against Boston College when the Eagles led from start to finish, despite the ‘Cats being down by just two in the fourth quarter. However, it was the case against North Carolina — had a few plays gone differently, so could the result.

Northwestern may not be on the same level of “national contender” as the top two teams this season, but its ability to challenge both will make it the dangerous lower seed that neither BC or UNC will want to face in the NCAA tournament. And during the postseason, when the pressure is on and one loss means the season is over, those lower-seeded teams are all the more dangerous.

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Northwestern-UNC was essentially just a back-and-forth momentum pendulum. The Tar Heels got off to a 5-2 start in the first quarter, winning five of seven draw controls in that span. It was then all NU for the next 20 minutes, as the team went on a 6-0 run to grab a considerable lead. That lead evaporated when North Carolina scored eight consecutive goals in a frame when Northwestern couldn’t score any. The Wildcats tried making up for their third-quarter collapse toward the end of the fourth, but it wasn’t enough.

On display were two teams on hot and cold streaks. However, simply defining the match by those streaks doesn’t account for the small moments that could have shifted the story.

For example, if Northwestern hadn’t made an errant pass when the score was 1-1, would it have been able to hamper UNC’s early run? If the Wildcats stopped Olivia Vergano’s fastbreak goal one second before halftime, would the momentum still have shifted to UNC in the third? Or what about the attacking chances Northwestern had in the first four minutes of the second half before its opponents started a scoring barrage? Had the ‘Cats not turned the ball over down 14-12 with just under two minutes left to play, would a comeback have been possible?

These scenarios highlight how a single play could change the game’s trajectory in favor of Northwestern. But instead of dwelling over the “what-ifs,” it’s more important to look at what these scenarios mean for the team.

To me, being a few plays away from seeing a different outcome further highlights how Northwestern is perfectly capable of taking on the top teams. Performing when it matters the most is a skill that takes time to learn. If the Wildcats build upon this performance, it could see a different result playing against these teams in May.

Contrasting styles

Despite being the second and fifth-highest-scoring offenses in the NCAA, respectively, North Carolina and Northwestern are very different.

UNC’s deep attack, with eight players recording double-digit goals on the season, was thoroughly highlighted against the Wildcats. Redshirt freshman attacker Chloe Humphrey, who scored four goals and four assists, is a budding superstar. She has a great game IQ, an ability to craft her shots and a field vision that allows her to set up her teammates. Meanwhile, her sister Ashley Humphrey leads the nation in assists per game (4.18). Even though Northwestern face-guarded her all game, she still finished with two goals and four assists.

However, it is not just about the Humphrey sisters. North Carolina is an offense capable of working its way around the attacking third to find an opening and then striking when the time is right. Given that 11 of its 15 goals were assisted (including nine by the Humphrey sisters), three or four players would often be responsible for just one goal.

Meanwhile, only one Northwestern goal was unassisted. A big reason for it was free position attempts, which the Wildcats went 3-for-8 on compared to the Tar Heels’ 2-for-4. NU’s goals just weren’t as clean as UNC’s, shown by how players like Taylor, graduate student Niki Miles and senior Samantha Smith often scored while making contact with multiple defenders or falling to the ground. The goals would also come from great distances, like senior Emerson Bohlig and redshirt sophomore Abby LaCascio’s rips from near the eight-meter arc.

Gritty play is a trademark of a Taylor-led Northwestern offense and has given the team great success. The Wildcats are also capable of scoring the way UNC frequently did, it’s just a much harder job against a defense as stifling as the Tar Heels. In addition, the high amount of unassisted goals shows their lack of depth compared to their opponents. It’s okay to have Northwestern’s playstyle — it’s just a matter of understanding that it is naturally more risk-averse, and tweaks should be made to prevent mistakes from spiraling.

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week — Emerson Bohlig, senior midfielder: Recording four goals, Bohlig led Northwestern in scoring against the Tar Heels. After netting a hat trick against Boston College, this marks the second time the senior has stepped up against a top opponent.

Play of the Week: Sophomore Lauren Archer shows shades of Erin Coykendall, sealing the deal against USC with a behind-the-back goal. It’s nice to see players who typically don’t get much playing time shine.

What’s Next?

Northwestern may be playing arguably its most crucial conference game of the season on Thursday at 5 p.m. CDT when it faces No. 4 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. The Wildcats and Blue Jays are 9-2 and the only two undefeated teams in the Big Ten, so whoever wins will have an advantage in the conference title race.

This game will also be a battle between two of the best attacks in the nation, which is notable as the Wildcats haven’t won against a strong offense yet. Hopkins is ranked as the No. 14 Division I scoring offense — Northwestern’s only other opponents ranked top 20 for that category were Boston College and UNC. It will also be a shootout between Hopkins’ Ashley Mackin and Taylor, ranked number one and two in the nation respectively for goals per game.