The Northwestern women’s lacrosse team came up short in its bid to win a second consecutive NCAA Championship as Boston College won 14-13 in a thrilling final on Sunday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
The Wildcats took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and held the advantage as the Eagles chipped away through the game. Boston College took its first lead at 9:39 in the fourth quarter, then added two more goals to seal the victory.
Northwestern’s Izzy Scane — the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer playing in her final collegiate game — scored two goals in the final five minutes but it wasn’t enough. Scane had five goals on the day and finished the season with 88 goals. Madison Taylor had three goals and one assist.
Final: Northwestern: 13 | Boston College: 14 pic.twitter.com/j53Mq4CNg3
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) May 26, 2024
Kayla Martello led the Eagles with five goals. Boston College goalkeeper Shea Dolce had nine saves, including a key save with 28 seconds remaining and her team leading by a point. This is the second national title for the Eagles, with the first coming in 2021 when the current seniors were freshmen.
Sunday’s dramatic matchup was a contrast to last season’s NCAA final between the two teams, which Northwestern handily won 18-6.
Had they won Sunday, the Wildcats would have been the first back-to-back national champs since Maryland in 2014-15, and coach Kelly Amonte Hiller would have broken a tie with Cindy Timchal — Amonte Hiller’s former coach at Maryland — for the most Division I national titles. Amonte Hiller has won eight national titles at Northwestern.