No. 11 Northwestern Readies for National Title Rematch at No. 1 UNC

CHAPEL HILL, NC— In one of the anticipated regular-season matchups in NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse, No. 11 Northwestern will face No. 1 North Carolina in a rematch of the 2025 nationwide championship sport at Dorrance Field on Wednesday. Opening draw is scheduled for 5 pm CT on ESPNU.

The Wildcats (6-3, 1-1 Big Ten) are making their first journey to Chapel Hill for the reason that 2024 season. Wednesday’s affair marks NU’s remaining non-conference sport in 2026. The matchup will characteristic 10 gamers on the 2026 Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

Perennially two of the highest applications within the nation, Northwestern and UNC have mixed for 12 nationwide championships (NU 8; UNC 4) and 30 NCAA Tournament Final Four appearances (NU 16; UNC 14).

NUMBERS TO KNOW:
Northwestern ranks throughout the nation’s prime 5 Division I squads in assists per sport (No. T-5, 9.22), draw management proportion (No. 5, 65.2%), draw controls per sport (No. 2, 17.67), factors per sport (No. 3, 25.67), save proportion (No. 5, 51.3%), scoring margin (No. 4, 7.78), scoring offense (No. 4, 16.44), pictures per sport (No. 2, 35.44) and pictures on objective per sport (No. T-4, 25.11).

• 407: (*1*) profession factors tally, which ranks No. 1 amongst all energetic NCAA Division I gamers. She and Izzy Scane are the one Wildcats in program historical past to eclipse the 400-point mark.
• 290: (*1*) NCAA-best profession objectives determine. With a Big Ten-high 45 objectives in 9 video games this season, Taylor has jumped to No. 2 in NU program historical past.
• 652: Jenika Cuocco’s profession saves determine, the best amongst all energetic NCAA Division I gamers. This season, Cuocco ranks third within the Big Ten in save proportion (.490) and No. 2 in saves per sport (7.78). Cuocco has logged 3,742 minutes between the pipes, the second most amongst all energetic Division I gamers.
• 503: Draw controls pulled down by Maddie Epke in her profession thus far. She leads all energetic NCAA Division I gamers in profession draw controls and ranks thirteenth in NCAA Division I historical past.
• 8.11: Draw controls per sport for Madison Smithwhich ranks third within the Big Ten. Smith is on tempo for a top-five season in program historical past in draw controls per sport.

LAST TIME OUT

Northwestern knocked off Oregon 17-3 in a wire-to-wire victory on Saturday afternoon at Papé Field.

B1G VICTORY! #catswin pic.twitter.com/Wj04rRMccQ

— Northwestern Lacrosse (@NULax) March 21, 2026

Behind a 10-point show from Taylor (seven objectives, three assists), the Wildcats secured an emphatic bounce-back win over the Ducks. Northwestern’s three objectives allowed marked the fewest scores it has ever surrendered in Big Ten play.

Nine ‘Cats netted objectives within the win.

Oregon’s 11 pictures marked the fewest NU has allowed in a sport this season, in addition to the bottom determine in opposition to a Big Ten opponent since Rutgers recorded 10 pictures in opposition to the Wildcats on April 10, 2015.

SCOUTING UNC
The Tar Heels (9-0, 7-0 ACC) enter Wednesday’s affair on a 31-game profitable streak. Led by head coach Jenny Levy, UNC captured its fourth nationwide championship final season in a 12-8 win over the Wildcats in Foxborough, Mass. The Tar Heels most just lately took down then-No. 16 Boston College 21-12.

Boosting the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense and No. 3 scoring protection, UNC has confirmed one of the full squads in Division I all through the season’s opening month and a half.

2025 Tewaaraton Award winner Chloe Humphrey has posted 46 objectives and 20 assists this season. Humphrey leads the nation in factors per sport (7.33) and objectives per sport (5.11). Addison Pattillo has carved out a distinct segment as a complementary scorer, netting 29 objectives this season.

Betty Nelson returns for her second season as UNC’s beginning goalkeeper. She averages 3.89 saves per sport on a 38.5% save proportion.

Humphrey, Pattillo, Nelson, Kate Levy, Sam Forrest, Eliza Osburn and Brooklyn Walker-Welch have all been named to the 2026 Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

STUFF SERIES
Wednesday will mark the twenty ninth assembly between the 2 applications. UNC leads the all-time sequence 15-13, with the groups splitting their final 4 matchups 2-2.

Last season, the Tar Heels prevailed in each their regular-season and NCAA Tournament video games in opposition to the ‘Cats. When these two squads final confronted off in Chapel Hill, NU took down UNC 16-10.

NEXT UP
The Wildcats will return dwelling for a Big Ten conflict with No. 7 Johns Hopkins on Sunday, March 29. Opening draw from Ryan Fieldhouse is scheduled for 1 pm CT on the Big Ten Network.