No. 2 Boston College Women's Lacrosse Falls to No. 3 Northwestern in NCAA Semifinals

FOXBOROUGH — If one thing is certain about Boston College women’s lacrosse coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein, it is that she knows how to repeat success. Since 2016, the Eagles have made seven consecutive NCAA Division 1 National Championship appearances.

"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, it really speaks to the culture that trickles down year to year," Walker-Weinstein said. "Culture is everything at BC."

That streak was halted on Friday night, however, as the No. 2 Eagles (19-3) surrendered a five-goal lead going into the final quarter of regulation against No. 3 Northwestern (19-2) in the 2025 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse semifinals. BC ultimately fell, 12-11, because of the six unanswered goals it gave up, along with getting shutout in the final quarter entirely.

"You wouldn't know it from the outside, but the team had come a really long way [this year]," Walker-Weinstein said. "I'm proud of the standard that they held, the leaders they became, and they're leaving BC lacrosse in a great place."

The Eagles faced an early 4-1 deficit due to a quick two-goal effort from Niki Miles along with goals from Madison Taylor—who officially clinched the NCAA single-season goals record from BC’s elimination—and Riley Campbell.

Taylor entered the contest leading the nation with 105 goals and added four in the game, increasing her total to 109 with one game remaining. BC’s Rachel Clark finished the season with 106.

The Eagles didn’t let the Wildcats’ three-goal lead deter them from a comeback, however. Of the next seven goals, BC scored six, pulling away with a 7-5 lead going into the final minute of the second.

THAT'S A HEATER ☄️

Mallory Hasselbeck extends the lead to 7-5 for the Eags in the second! pic.twitter.com/HiPV0rJzvr
— BC Women's Lacrosse (@BCwlax) May 23, 2025

After a long offensive possession for the Eagles, Shea Dolce gave up a goal with 9.6 seconds remaining in the first half to make the Wildcats’ deficit just one.

BC pulled away in the second half of the third quarter, piling onto its lead with four goals in a seven-minute span to make it 11-6 going into the fourth. In the process, Mckenna Davis registered her third hat trick of the year.

The third frame also marked the fourth time all year—and the first time since March 27 against North Carolina—that Northwestern failed to score a goal in a quarter.

With her eighth save at the 11:28 mark of the fourth, Dolce became the second goalie in BC history to generate 200 saves in a single season, but the remainder of the frame didn’t go as smoothly.

"We knew that Northwestern was going to fight," Walker-Weinstein said. "Kelly [Amonte Hiller] is one of the best out there, and we just had to adjust minute by minute. We just didn't make enough plays, and unfortunately we couldn't slow that momentum."

After giving up six unanswered goals, Walker-Weinstein took a timeout with 3:30 remaining in to settle down her squad. Dolce had previously come up with a massive save on a Taylor free-position attempt, trapping the ball to her right to keep the Eagles’ deficit at one.

A Niki Miles turnover with two minutes remaining seemingly gave the Eagles their last hope, and BC advanced the ball into Northwestern’s defensive territory. But the Eagles lost possession with 1:24 left on the clock, still down 12-11.

With 20 seconds remaining, Shea Baker retrieved the ball from a Riley Campbell turnover, a miraculous gift which blessed BC with a final shot to knot up the game and force overtime.

But a final stop by Sweitzer with four seconds left cut off BC's remaining circulation. The Wildcats’ bench sprung up into action and dashed onto the field in celebratory fashion.

"Every girl on this team fought and scrapped everyday, day in and day out," Baker said. "I wish we could have closed the deal for our seniors and being under these lights in front of our families. With such unbelievable girls on our sidelines, it's something to be grateful for."

Holding back tears in the post-game press conference, Davis stated just how grateful she was to have her last collegiate game be played near Chestnut Hill.

"You know, being in Boston, it's so great with this fanbase that we have and that all our families were able to come, starting in Boston and ending in Boston," Davis said. "I'm really grateful that we were able to be here."

THE SAVE PART 2️⃣

Delaney Sweiter walks it off for @NULax. pic.twitter.com/4IRabuRRle
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 24, 2025