CARY, N.C. (AP) — Izzy Scane scored four goals to set two Northwestern scoring records and lead the top-seeded Wildcats to their first NCAA women’s lacrosse championship in 11 years with a dominating 18-6 win over third-seeded Boston College on a rain-soaked Sunday afternoon.
Freshman Madison Taylor also had four goals and Erin Coykendall added three for the Wildcats (21-1), who won their eighth championship, second only to Maryland’s 14, with their 21st straight victory.
Hailey Rhatigan scored twice and Emerson Bohlig, Elle Hansen, Samantha Smith and Samantha White also had goals for Northwestern, which outshot the Eagles 42-19 and had a 17-8 advantage in draw controls.
Scane, the favorite to win the national player of the year award, reached 99 goals for the season, one more than she scored in 2021, before she sat out last year with an ACL injury. Scane, a graduate student who said she would return next season, moved past Selena Lasota for the career scoring record with 291.
Molly Laliberty, a transfer from Division III Tufts, had three saves behind a stout defense.
White led that dominating defense with six ground balls while causing three turnovers. She also had seven draw controls, one less than Smith, and both are sophomores.
Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller is 53-11 in the NCAA Tournament, a record for tournament wins. It was also her 10th title, eight as the Wildcats’ coach and two as a player at Maryland. Her eight titles match Terrapins coach Cindy Timchal for the most in history.
“Honestly, it means everything,” Amonte Hiller said. “I can’t even tell you what went into this. So many years from 2012, the last time we won … it means so much. I am so proud of this group. I said in the summer before the season we have to get them to believe. They believed in everything. It’s so sweet. I’m so proud of this group.”
Boston College (19-4), which suffered its worst loss of the season, was in the championship game for the sixth straight time with only a title in 2021 to show for it. Kayla Martello scored three goals and Belle Smith added two.
Jenn Medjid, who leads the team with 83 goals, was held to one third-period goal on four shots.
BC finished with 21 turnovers, one short of its season high, and five yellow cards and a green card. The Wildcats were not carded. Northwestern scored three times on six free-position shots and the Eagles were 0 for 3..
Boston College’s six straight finals appearances are the most since Northwestern was in eight straight from 2005-12, with the Wildcats winning seven. Since then Northwestern has lost in the semifinals five times.
With Taylor scoring twice after free-position starts, Northwestern led 3-0 after one period, only the second time this season Boston College didn’t score in a 15-minute period.
The Eagles got goals from Martello and Smith 37 seconds apart early in the second period but the Northwestern defense shut them down, holding them without a shot for more than nine minutes. Meanwhile, the Wildcats responded with three goals for a 6-2 lead at the half.
Taylor scored two more as Northwestern dominated the third quarter to take an 11-4 lead.
The two teams played at Northwestern in February with the Wildcats winning 15-14.
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