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Lake Show Secures 16-7 Win Against Nittany Lions in Conference Opener

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Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. - No. 3 Northwestern (7-1, 1-0) kicked off Big Ten play with a commanding 16-7 victory over Penn State (2-7, 0-2) on Sunday afternoon inside Ryan Fieldhouse. The Wildcats converted 16 of 31 shots, with eight different players finding the back of the net. Madison Taylor led the charge with six goals and three assists, marking her fifth six-goal performance of the season.

B1G 'CAT WIN ?? pic.twitter.com/pclFFkv0KL

— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) March 16, 2025

Emerson Bohlig opened the scoring for Northwestern with a free-position goal before Penn State's Erica Ho quickly equalized. The Wildcats responded with four unanswered goals, seizing control early.

Field Awareness ?? Team Goal

A must watch sequence ?? pic.twitter.com/7ZArZJZwnc

— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) March 16, 2025

Madison Taylor took over in the second quarter, notching four goals to extend her streak to 19 consecutive games with a hat trick. She added her 40th goal of the season on a free-position attempt and finished the day with 45 total goals—ranking second nationally but leading the country in goals per game (5.6).

Bohlig netted her second goal of the game unassisted off of a spinning dodge and low finish, while Sammy White tallied her first goal of the season off a Riley Campbell assist. Northwestern entered halftime with a commanding 10-2 lead.

Sammy in the scoring category! pic.twitter.com/O0F5aM2ESg

— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) March 16, 2025

Penn State struck early in the third quarter with goals from Ho and Kristin MacKinney, but Northwestern maintained its grip on the game. Niki Miles ended a brief scoring drought by finishing through contact off a Taylor assist. Ho answered again for Penn State, but Taylor responded with her fifth goal of the afternoon to keep the Wildcats in control heading into the fourth quarter, leading 13-6.

The Nittany Lions opened the final frame with a free-position goal, but Northwestern closed out strong. Hannah Rudolph scored her second of the day, Taylor added her sixth, and Taylor Lapointe capped off the win off another assist from Madison Taylor.

Taylor Made ™? pic.twitter.com/7LUlINdkkd

— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) March 16, 2025

Key Performances:

Northwestern converted 7 of 9 free-position attempts and completed their 5th straight win. The Wildcats return to action on March 22 at 1 PM CT against no. 5 Maryland at Ryan Fieldhouse. The game will be televised live on Big Ten Network. Fans can purchase tickets here.