Madison Taylor's overtime goal seals a stunning upset as Northwestern ends UNC's 31-game winning streak in a National Championship rematch.
Despite a ranking gap on paper, the Wildcats made it irrelevant after stunning the top team in the country.
Madison Taylor, who already had two goals in her pocket, roamed behind the crease in overtime. After finding her teammates covered tightly by North Carolina's defenders, she decided to take this one on her own—she juked out a defender in front of her with a hesitation move and darted toward the left post, sweeping the ball into the net as her body fell to the turf for the final flourish.
After meeting in the NCAA Final last year, the No. 12 Northwestern (7-3, 1-1 B1G) upset No. 1 North Carolina (9-1, 7-0 ACC) 17-16 on Wednesday's rematch, snapping the Tar Heels' 31-game winning streak. Not just the first time beating the top-team win since beating then-No. 1 Boston College on Feb. 29, 20224, it also coincidentally marks Northwestern's long-awaited victory over UNC since the same date two years ago.
Taylor finished with three goals. Olivia Adamson contributed two assists, while Aditi Foster also tallied three goals. Noel Cumberland and Annabel Child posted two goals apiece. Jenika Cuocco anchored the defense with 12 saves. Despite being outshot 11 times, Northwestern recorded three more shots on target. Led by Maddie Epke's season-high 15 draw controls, the 'Cats also dominated the Tar Heels 20-15 in that category.
The Tar Heels jumped out to a 3-1 lead after Foster's opener for Northwestern. Epke scooped up the ball amid chaos in the box for a crucial draw control, leading to Taylor's quick-strike goal as she darted toward the cage. However, UNC extended its lead to 5-2 at the beginning of the second quarter.
Cumberland battled through pressure and buried a free-position strike to stem the momentum. Another free-position conversion from Adamson cut the deficit to one. Both teams traded eight goals over the remaining 11 minutes, and the Tar Heels, led by Addison Pattillo and Chloe Humphrey, held a 10-8 lead at halftime.
Turning to the second half, Taylor threw a volley pass toward a cutting Adamson, who delivered an extra one for Child's close-range finish. But the Tar Heels broke out with two consecutive goals to restore a two-goal cushion. Foster then stepped up for the 'Cats, striding all the way from the backfield into the opponent's territory and completing a momentum-shifting solo effort.
Following Taylor's second goal, which tied the score at 12-12, Adamson took a drive from behind the crease, finding an angle for a quick finish that gave Northwestern its first lead of the game.
Though the 'Cats entered the final frame ahead 14-13, Humphrey tied the score with 9:32 remaining. Both teams traded two goals each before the final whistle sent the game to overtime.
Cuocco defended her territory with two minutes left in regulation, logging two consecutive crucial saves to preserve the tie. Before Taylor's overtime heroics ended UNC's historic winning streak, Cuocco corralled Killey Mottice's free-position attempt at the start of the extra session to keep the door open.
Northwestern will be back in action at home against No. 7 Johns Hopkins at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 29.