We’ve got a national title game rematch on our hands.
On Saturday, No. 2 Northwestern lacrosse will take on No. 1 Boston College in a rematch of the last two national title games. The last time these two teams faced, Boston College defeated Northwestern 14-13 in a 2024 national title comeback victory. However, Northwestern’s roster is completely different from what it was then, so taking on a BC squad with less roster turnover will be a new challenge.
The head-to-head series between these two teams is 4-3 in Northwestern’s favor, with five of the seven contests being played over the last three seasons. Here are three keys to the Wildcats winning the next chapter of this storied rivalry.
Why Not Us?
Northwestern has been a favorite in nearly all of its matches for the past two seasons. Even when the ‘Cats lost the No. 1 ranking last February and played top-ranked Boston College as the No. 3 team, they still felt like the favorites given that they were the defending national champions — which involved blowing out the Eagles 18-6 in the 2023 national title game. The last time NU was a true underdog was March 19, 2023, when it faced and upset No. 1 North Carolina — the then-reigning national champions on a 47-game regular season win streak.
As great as the No. 1 ranking or the “reigning champion” title may be, it can also be a pressure — everyone wants to bring their A-game against the best team. Meanwhile, there’s motivation that comes with playing as the underdog. For the first time in a long time, Northwestern has a target to chase rather than being the ones chased down by facing the reigning national champs. With the added element of revenge over last season’s heartbreak, the Wildcats have a great opportunity to channel this energy into an upset.
Lockdown Defense
When Notre Dame clawed back at Northwestern’s 7-0 lead last week, a big reason why the Fighting Irish couldn’t fully mount a comeback was because of the NU defense. Samantha White had a phenomenal performance with four caused turnovers and three ground balls, and she was super efficient at moving the ball from defense to offense. Meanwhile, Jane Hansen and Grace Fujinaga chipped in with two caused turnovers. Even though Northwestern was held scoreless in the third quarter, Notre Dame could only get away with one goal in the same period because of the ‘Cats defensive pressure.
Boston College’s lineup of attackers is better than Notre Dame’s. Rachel Clark has 12 goals across two games, while her teammate Emma LoPinto accumulated seven goals and four assists in the same time frame. And that’s not to mention other preseason All-Americans like McKenna Davis and Mia Mascone. Stopping these players will be a tall task, but if NU can show similar defensive intensity as it did against Notre Dame, that will be a good starting point.
Attack Smart
Both against Notre Dame in the season opener and Boston College in last season’s national title game, Northwestern’s offensive demise was poor decision-making. The Wildcats dealt with several missed opportunities stemming from bad passes, poor positioning-induced shot clock violations, and shooting the ball right at the goalkeepers’ sticks. After all, NU committed 25 turnovers versus Notre Dame, which was four more than the Irish.
As much as the Wildcats want to take their chances, they must do so efficiently. Madison Taylor, the team’s top attacker, helps to do that job by constantly drawing fouls to get free position shots — expect a few other NU attackers to do the same as well. But with Shea Dolce in goal for the Golden Eagles, shooting at the cage from a less-than-ideal angle probably means the ball ends up in her stick. After all, her heroic saves from the national title game are a big reason Northwestern isn’t two-time defending champions right now.
Facing Boston College will be the regular season’s biggest test for many of Northwestern’s newcomers on offense, such as Riley Campbell and Niki Miles. If they can perform well on Saturday, it will bode well for the rest of the season.