FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Northwestern’s semifinal matchup against Boston College was all too familiar for the team donning purple. Until it wasn’t.
A year ago, the Eagles (19-3, 8-1 ACC) got the best of the ’Cats (19-2, 8-0 Big Ten) in the national championship game after erasing an early deficit.
Boston College battled back from yet another early NU lead on Friday, only this time, the ’Cats emerged victorious.
A six-goal fourth quarter surge planted NU back in the national championship as the team took down the Eagles 12-11 Friday, surviving and advancing during a torrential downpour at Gillette Stadium.
Junior attacker Madison Taylor scored a team-high four goals, while tacking on four assists. Her fourth goal proved pivotal for victory, as it cut the deficit to one.
The Eagles won the first draw, but the ’Cats drew first blood. With under 13 minutes to go in the first quarter, junior attacker Madison Taylor picked up a ground ball in the defensive half and stormed down the field to score the game’s first goal.
Niki Miles scored a pair of goals three minutes later to give NU an early 3-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for Boston College to muster a response, as Eagles attacker Mckenna Davis scored with 6:52 remaining in the first quarter to cut the deficit to two.
Graduate student attacker Riley Campbell restored the three-goal lead with over four minutes remaining in the first quarter, but the Eagles got their star going.
Boston College’s Rachel Clark scored two unassisted goals in under 60 seconds to make it a one-goal game after the first frame.
The Eagles won the draw to open the second quarter and didn’t waste its chance. Davis connected with Emma LoPinto, who tied the game at four.
Taylor and Clark traded blows, holding the game at a 5-5 deadlock for about five minutes, until Davis scored her second goal to give the Eagles their first lead of the day. Mallory Hasselbeck also got on the scoresheet to put the ’Cats in a two-goal hole.
NU found a semblance of momentum heading into halftime after senior midfielder Emerson Bohlig fired a shot that ricocheted off Shea Dolce’s mask and bounced over the yellow line.
However, the third quarter was all about the Eagles, who scored four goals and took a five-goal lead entering the final 15 minutes of play.
The ’Cats didn’t go gently into that good night. Junior attacker Lucy Munro scored their first goal since the second quarter just fifteen seconds into the last period, and Taylor followed it up shortly after with her third of the game.
Boston College staved off the NU attack for a few minutes, but it continued to battle back.
Freshman attacker Aditi Foster scored yet another goal in a crucial moment to make it an 11-9 game.
Quickly, Gillette Stadium had a completely different ballgame.
With 7:59 remaining, Taylor converted a free-position opportunity to make it a one-goal game. 38 seconds later, Campbell evened the score at 11. Soon enough, senior midfielder Sam Smith scored the lead-taking goal.
Here are three takeaways from Friday’s semifinal bout:
1. Taylor and Clark prove they are the best in the business
The two leading goal scorers in the country came to play when everything was on the line.
Taylor brought her playmaking ability to the table almost instantly, scoring the first goal of the game and assisting the second. By the first half, the junior accounted for five points.
On the other side of the field, Clark turned it on when the Eagles faced a deficit, scoring two goals in one minute to tie the game.
Clark scored her 106th goal of the season with over 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter and earned a first-half hat trick.
Taylor had a quiet second half until she grabbed her 19th hat trick of the season and cut the lead to three with 13:30 remaining in the game. It was also her 108th goal of the season.
The NU attacker continued to pile it on, scoring another fourth-quarter goal that proved pivotal in the semifinal winning comeback.
These two will finish the season as the first and second leading scorers in a single season in NCAA history.
2. Winning the draw saves the day
NU won the draw battle 19-8 Friday.
Though they outdrew the Eagles 10-5 in the first half, NU lost the turnover battle 11-7. The Eagles handily took advantage of what was given to them, outshooting and outscoring NU after 30 minutes of play.
NU won the draw margin 3-2 in the third quarter, but its impact was negligible. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Smith’s persistence in the circle took hold.
The ’Cats’ draw prowess enabled them to take a firm control of the game’s momentum and build back their lead. By relentlessly remaining offensive, NU clawed back into the contest.
The last time these teams faced off, the ’Cats lost the game and the turnover battle, while the two squads split the draw control.
Aided by Smith’s seven and Taylor’s six draw controls, NU secured the victory.
3. NU works a fourth quarter most teams can only dream of
Facing a five-goal hole with only fifteen minutes to escape it, the ’Cats emphatically answered the call, completely flipping the script after their first scoreless quarter since March 27.
After four unanswered third quarter goals, the NU went on a scoring streak of its own with six unanswered goals.
The ’Cats found goal support from all over their lineup, ranging from the ever-reliable Taylor to Foster, whose goal was her 11th of the season.
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