Records Fall for Madison Taylor, Northwestern Punches Semifinal Ticket

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern attacker Madison Taylor woke up Thursday morning and decided to set a trio of records during the Wildcats’ NCAA quarterfinal matchup with Penn.

First, by scoring her 100th goal of the season, she set the Northwestern and Big Ten records for goals in a season. The record previously stood at 99, held by two-time Tewaaraton Award winner Izzy Scane.

Then, early in the second quarter, Taylor contributed her 143rd point, snapping Northwestern’s single-season points record, set by current Michigan head coach Hannah Nielsen in 2009.

Her fifth goal of the game, a free-position goal in the third quarter, shattered the NCAA single-season goals record. Taylor’s tally stands at 105 goals, two clear of High Point’s Abby Hormes’ 103 goals in 2022.

The Northwestern attacker’s six-goal, four-assist outburst spurred the No. 3-seeded Wildcats to a 17-12 win over Penn and their sixth consecutive final four appearance. Northwestern withstood a ferocious Quaker comeback to advance to the semifinals.

“I feel really grateful to be in that position,” Taylor said. “I have the best teammates in the world, and they help me be a better player and person every day.”

Kelly Amonte Hiller’s squad will face the winner of Boston College and Yale’s quarterfinal bout at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., next Friday.

“It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means, but I think that we were able to really battle through and make plays when we needed to,” Amonte Hiller said. “It’ll be a good opportunity for us to go and assess how we can be better next time out.”

Northwestern surged to a sizable lead early on. Attacker Lucy Munro got the ball rolling with a free-position goal a minute into the game and added her second goal of the day less than a minute later.

Wildcats attacker Taylor Lapointe and Taylor each contributed goals to put Northwestern up 4-0. Northwestern dominated the first quarter, winning the draw by a 7-2 margin. Backed by midfielder Sam Smith’s career-high 15 draw controls, the Wildcats outdrew the Quakers 23-10 on Thursday.

“We’re just dawgs,” Northwestern defender Sammy White said. “When we are on that circle, we’re going to do everything we can to come up with the ball, no matter if it’s pretty, or ugly, or whatever it looks like. We are going to give every single last ounce of effort to do that.”

But Penn hung around, going on a 3-1 run to end the first quarter. Attacker Keeley Block notched a pair of goals in the first quarter en route to a hat trick.

Penn midfielder Anna Brandt scored a free-position goal, her 64th of the season, with six minutes left in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 8-4. Brandt, who broke Penn’s single-season scoring record, scored five goals Thursday in her final game as a Quaker.

“Everything she does is full out, and she doesn’t take anything for granted,” Penn head coach Karin Brower Corbett said of Brandt. “She’s a true competitor. [I’m] just really, really proud of her, and I’m really rooting for her to make the Olympic team.”

Taylor assisted on a goal and then scored another to send the two squads to the break with Northwestern ahead 10-5.

The Quakers flipped the game on its head to start the third quarter, ripping off a 5-1 run to crawl back within a goal. Four Penn players found the back of the net as it trailed just 11-10 late in the third quarter.

Corbett said that Penn switched from a zone defense to a man-to-man defense in the third quarter and had positive results.

But Northwestern’s offense reloaded some of its firepower, scoring two goals as the third quarter ended and returning to a three-goal lead. Miles found the back of the net before Taylor punched in her sixth goal of the day.

“We have a lot of pride in playing for each other and having each other’s backs, and even when it does get tough, we really love the hard fight,” White said. “We really locked in and we got ourselves together, and we were like, ‘this isn’t going to be our last game.’”

The Wildcats returned to control to start the fourth quarter, with goals from Miles and attacker Riley Campbell extending Northwestern’s lead to 15-10. Miles, taking the field for the Wildcats on Thursday, posted two goals and an assist in her first matchup against her former team.

Northwestern attacker Aditi Foster delivered the proverbial dagger, scoring a pair of fourth-quarter goals. Her second, a sidearm shot as she fell to the ground, secured a five-goal Northwestern victory.

As the team celebrated after the clock read zeroes, the Dropkick Murphys’ song “I'm Shipping Up to Boston” blared through the Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium speakers.

It’s a fitting celebration song for Amonte Hiller, who grew up in the Boston area. She’ll take her team back home to Gillette Stadium, where semifinal action awaits.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Amonte Hiller said. “For the opportunity to play in the final four, but in an NFL stadium, that’s a pretty big deal. They worked for this.”