North Carolina Blows By Northwestern With Dominant Third Quarter

The Wildcats have been tested by the nation's best lacrosse teams.

Northwestern Wildcats midfielder Jaylen Rosga in a game against North Carolina on March 28, 2025. | Photo: Northwestern Athletics

Through 10 games in the 2025 women's lacrosse season, Northwestern is 8-2. The Wildcats' two losses have been to the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation.

Riding a six-game win streak, the 'Cats picked up just their second defeat of the year on Thursday, falling to the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels at home by the score of 15-12. Northwestern led by three at the half, but a 5-0 third quarter by UNC flipped the game on its head as the Tar Heels remained an undefeated 10-0.

Sisters Chloe and Ashley Humphrey combined for six goals and eight assists to lead North Carolina, while Kiley Mottice had a hat trick on just three shots. The nation's leading scorer, Northwestern's Madison Taylor, was held to just three goals in the loss. Senior Wildcat midfielder Emerson Bohlig logged a career-high four scores.

Taylor opened the game with her 48th goal of the season, but North Carolina quickly rattled off four scores in five minutes to take the early lead. After the teams alternated goals, the Wildcats controlled the end of the first quarter and most of the second with six consecutive goals. UNC found the back of the net as time expired to cut the deficit to 8-6 at halftime.

Both Taylor and Bohlig finished with first-half hat tricks.

However, North Carolina seized the game coming out of the break. Behind the Humphrey sisters, the Tar Heels scored seven goals in a row to pull away from the Wildcats. Northwestern struggled to win the draw in the third quarter as UNC claimed a 5-1 advantage in the circle.

The 'Cats cut a five-goal hole to two in the fourth, but couldn't escape their nightmarish third quarter and ultimately fell by three.

Delaney Sweitzer's 15 goals allowed were the most the Syracuse graduate transfer has given up this season. She also had eight saves, marking the third consecutive game she did so and the fourth time this season.

The Wildcats have six regular season games remaining, which includes four ranked opponents. Northwestern will face No. 17 USC in Los Angeles on Sunday and No. 4 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore next week, then will later wrap up Big Ten play against No. 13 Michigan and No. 19 Ohio State.