Northwestern to Face Boston College in Lacrosse Final Four Rematch

The 'Cats and Eagles will battle once again.

Boston College's Abby Herrod and Northwestern's Sam Smith vie for a draw control in a lacrosse game on February 15, 2025. | Photo: Northwestern Athletics

With the Wildcats' win over Penn on Thursday, Northwestern is headed to its sixth consecutive Final Four. The women's lacrosse giants will play Boston College in the NCAA Tournament Semifinals on May 23.

Northwestern defeated Boston College, 18-6, to win the program's eighth National Championship in 2023, then fell to the Eagles in last year's title game. The 'Cats held a 6-0 lead after the first quarter in 2024, but BC mounted a comeback and eventually won, 14-13.

The teams previously met this season on February 15 in Evanston, which resulted in a 13-9 win for Boston College. The top two scorers in the country both struggled, as NU's Madison Taylor had just three goals and BC's Rachel Clark was held to a season-low two scores.

Northwestern advanced to the NCAA Semifinals following a rock fight against Penn, a 17-12 win for the 'Cats. NU jumped out to an early advantage, but the Quakers used a strong third quarter to cut the deficit to one. The Wildcats pulled away on a 6-2 run to end the game, led by Taylor's six goals and four assists. The Tewaaraton Award finalist also broke the single-season NCAA goals record against Penn, scoring her 105th goal of the year.

Meanwhile, Clark sits at 103 goals on the season after an eight-goal performance in Boston College's quarterfinal win over Yale. She and Emma LoPinto combined for 13 of the Eagles' 18 goals on Thursday, and the winner of the Final Four matchup could decide whether Taylor or Clark comes out on top in the NCAA record books.

The Final Four and National Championship will be held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Both semifinal games are scheduled for May 23, while the title match is set for May 25.