FOXBORO — Reaching a national championship game is never a fait accompli.
Boston College had certainly made it look like such when it comes to women’s lacrosse, but saw its recent streak of success snapped Friday night.
Junior attackman Madison Taylor sniped four goals, and assisted on the game-clincher late, as third-seeded Northwestern stormed back from a five-goal fourth quarter deficit to stun the second-ranked Eagles, 12-11, at Gillette Stadium.
“I know you can’t really see it from the outside, but this team came a really long way,” said Boston College coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein. “I’m proud of the standard that they held, the leaders that they became, and they’re leaving BC lacrosse in a great place, and a place it can be proud of. Not the ending that we wanted, but I’m still very proud of our team, and all the leaders.”
Excluding the COVID year in 2020, Boston College (19-3) had been dominating the scene, reaching the final each season since 2017 and winning the title last spring.
Northwestern (19-2) struck for three consecutive goals to open play. Taylor got things going for the Wildcats with a goal, before Niki Miles netted a pair herself as the Eagles suddenly found themselves trailing 3-0 with 8:36 to play in the first quarter.
Then, BC clawed back with a vengeance. Davis ended the scoring drought for the Eagles, as she sniped a goal with 6:52 to go in the opening stanza, before Clark buried a pair as well as their squad trimmed things back to 4-3 after a quarter.
Then, the two budding rivals engaged in a chess match spanning until halftime, trading goals throughout the second stanza.
With 4:25 remaining in the half, former Rivers School star Mallory Hasselbeck darted upfield, and was leveled as she uncorked a shot for BC. The attempt still whistled into the cage, providing the Eagles a 7-5 lead.
After BC took a 7-6 advantage into the break, the Eagles opened things up in the third quarter, scoring four straight. Davis completed her third hat trick of the season, as she scored a breakaway goal in transition to provide BC a commanding 11-6 lead. At that point, it appeared the Eagles were going to cruise onward.
Not so fast. Led by Taylor, Northwestern staged a rally for the ages in the final frame, tallying six unanswered goals of its own. The junior attackman had two tallies herself during the sequence. Then with 5:26 remaining, the junior fed a pass to a swooping Sam Smith, who netted the go-ahead goal in stunning fashion as the Wildcats jumped in front 12-11.
BC would have one final opportunity after forcing a turnover in the waning seconds, but a shot attempt from Mia Mascone was corralled by Delaney Sweitzer to seal the victory for Northwestern.
Taylor also added four assists to pace Northwestern, which will now face top-ranked North Carolins for it all Sunday. Miles and Riley Campbell added two goals apiece for the Wildcats.
“I think to have that consecutive success like that right now in this day and age with all the parity and how good all these other teams are, I think it really speaks to the culture,” said Walker-Weinstein. “That trickles down year-to-year, and I give my coaching staff so much credit.”
Davis (three goals, two assists), Clark (three goals) and Emma LoPinto carried the Eagles offensively, while goaltender Shea Dolce eclipsed 200 career saves this season, only the second player in Boston College history to accomplish the feat.
With Northwestern clinching a trip to the final, a few locals will also be going. The Wildcats boast a roster featuring former Massachusetts athletes such as Alex Blake (Medfield), Jane Hansen (Cohasset), Cara Nugent (Governor’s Academy) and Kate Keller (Newburyport).
Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller hails from Hingham. She was thrilled to see the festivities continue.
“It feels unbelievable to have a long weekend at Gillette Stadium,” said Amonte Hiller. “Really grateful for the people that are hosting, Harvard University, and all the people from the NCAA making it special. It’s a really unbelievable thing for the men and the women to be together in a stadium like this. I think it brings a lot of attention to our sport at a critical time for college athletics. It’s fun to be a part of it in your hometown.”
