Northwestern Lacrosse One Game Away From Historic Home Championship

Before the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Semifinals, Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller called on Wildcats Nation to show up and support the team. The fanbase answered emphatically.

With hours of Friday's first game kicked off, Northwestern fans clad in purple and white lined up before the ticket checkpoint. A series of tailgate parties had already sprawled from the grass in front of the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion to the parking lot, with drinks and food stuffed on folding tables. Fans treated women's lacrosse with the same reverence and importance typically reserved for football and basketball — as a program with championship glory, culture and pedigree. Now, one win away from repeating that legacy, the community showed up in historic fashion.

Once the 'Cats were allowed to enter after No. 2 North Carolina ouslaughtered Maryland 16-6 and booked the Final spot, the main color inside Martin Stadium gradually shifted from the Tar Heels' sky blue to purple before the kickoff. Even the North Stand — not usually open during the regular season — filled with Northwestern students, forming a mini shaking wall that created a "student section" energy reminiscent of Welsh-Ryan Arena.

"It's going to be a day we'll remember for the rest of our lives," the 'Cats senior attacker Madison Taylor said Friday. "Having all the student-athletes, all the students, and everyone that's been part of setting this whole thing up for us, all the facilities people—so much goes into it that we got to see this weekend. I'm just really grateful to be here."

With overwhelming support surrounding them, Northwestern punched its ticket to the final, defeating No. 4 Johns Hopkins 16-11 in a thrilling semifinal. The game recorded 6,242 in attendance—the highest ever for a lacrosse game at Martin Stadium.

"That was my first time playing in front of that many people," senior attacker Maddie Epke said. "I think it really helped us to be in an environment where everyone was believing in us and cheering us on."

With the triumph, Taylor — the 'Cats' offensive engine with 96 goals and 36 assists this season and a Tewaaraton Award finalist — alongside other senior standouts including Epke, Annabel Child and Lucy Munro, will have just 60 more minutes to finish their collegiate careers.

"More time together," Taylor said with joy, looking ahead to her professional career after being selected No. 1 overall by the California Palms in the WLL draft. "We made it to the last day we could get to. That was our goal and we're so grateful for that. We've got 60 more minutes left together no matter what happens. Couldn't be more happy."

This marked the first time a college lacrosse team has held home-game advantage in the finals since 2004. Armed with that home-field edge as the top seed, Northwestern has a legitimate shot at crowning college lacrosse's highest honor in front of its own fans.

"It would be really cool," Amonte Hiller said of potentially winning the championship on home turf, which would be her ninth for the program. Since rejuvenating the lacrosse program in 2002, when it was still a varsity program, Amonte Hiller has embodied the entire program's identity.

"To have home fans see the student-athletes, the students, the supporters, the people working at the university, the community — we really try to play for them every time we take the field. We'll be proud no matter what happens Sunday of our effort and how we carry ourselves, but if we could, it would be a really cool thing for everyone in the community," she said.

Coming up is the 2025 title rematch on Sunday, where the 'Cats lost 12-8 last year. But the narrative has shifted since then. In March, Northwestern upset the then-No. 1 Tar Heels 17-16 in overtime, a turning point that helped propel the 'Cats to the top seed they now hold.

While Northwestern has earned the No. 1 ranking, Amonte Hiller said earlier that the seeding is merely a label for the 'Cats after they trounced James Madison 17-5. What matters, she said, is the mental and tactical execution both programs will bring.

"I think there's always a lot of learning," Amonte Hiller said. "I think just the fact that we did play each other is a really neat thing, and how we have this rivalry, and just having played them last year in the Championship Game, it's a pretty cool thing. So we're excited to welcome them to our home field again on Sunday and see what happens. Fight as hard as we can."

The 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship is scheduled at 11 a.m. CT at Martin Stadium, with the title game livestreamed on ESPN.