Northwestern Lacrosse Gets Back On Track in Los Angeles

The Wildcats picked up a big win on the road.

Northwestern goalie Delaney Sweitzer and midfielder Serafina DeMunno celebrate in a lacrosse game vs. USC on March 30, 2025. | Photo: Northwestern Athletics

Following a tough loss to No. 2 North Carolina on Thursday, No. 3 Northwestern bounced back with a wire-to-wire victory at No. 18 USC on Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats never trailed and pulled away from the Trojans thanks to a dominant second half to win, 17-8.

Tewaaraton Award candidate Madison Taylor scored a game-leading five goals on as many shots, while graduate transfer Riley Campbell had three of her own to go with two assists. Niki Miles, Lucy Munro and Sam Smith each added a pair of goals, with Smith winning 13 draw controls as well.

The Wildcats' defense shut down USC, allowing NU to outshoot the Trojans, 42-24. In the net, Syracuse transfer Delaney Sweitzer stopped nine of the 17 shots she faced to stifle Trojan attackers. Smith's success in the draw circle helped the 'Cats maintain possession throughout the game with a 22-7 advantage.

Taylor opened the game with a quick hat trick, but USC eventually evened the game at four apiece in the second. Campbell then scored all three of her goals consecutively, which led to Northwestern's 8-5 halftime lead.

The 'Cats held a narrow 11-7 advantage entering the final quarter, but five consecutive goals from Taylor, Smith, Miles and Munro to begin the fourth sealed the deal. The Trojans were outscored 6-1 in the fourth quarter as a 12-3 shot discrepancy kept them off the board until late in the game.

Northwestern is set to face No. 4 Johns Hopkins on Thursday night, the team's fourth consecutive top 20 opponent. The Blue Jays are 9-2 on the year with wins over No. 6 Syracuse, No. 11 Duke, No. 12 James Madison, No. 14 Penn, USC and No. 20 Stony Brook.