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North Carolina let a two-goal fourth-quarter lead slip away as Northwestern closed on a 5-0 run to defeat the Tar Heels 14-11 in the 2026 NCAA women’s lacrosse championship Sunday at Martin Stadium.
Northwestern (19-3) entered the final period down 11-9 but dominated the last 15 minutes to secure its ninth NCAA title and second victory over UNC this season. The Wildcats extended their winning streak to 14 games and avenged last year’s championship loss to the Tar Heels.
UNC (20-2) saw its 10-game winning streak end. Over the last two seasons, the Tar Heels are 41-2, with both defeats this spring coming against Northwestern.
Gabriella McCollester powered the Wildcats with four goals, three of them after halftime, including the go-ahead score during Northwestern’s game-changing fourth-quarter push. Aditi Foster and Taylor Lapointe each finished with three goals, while Madison Taylor had one goal and six assists, directing an offense that gradually wore down UNC.
Chloe Humphrey led North Carolina with two goals and two assists and tied the NCAA single-season record with her second score, matching the 109 goals Taylor scored for Northwestern last year. Addison Pattillo recorded her 17th career hat trick — and sixth straight game with at least three goals — and Eliza Osburn added two goals. Eva Ingrilli also scored twice.
Northwestern struck first and fast. Lapointe scored 58 seconds into the game off a pass from Taylor, then added an unassisted goal barely a minute later. A failed UNC clear set up Foster’s finish on another Taylor feed for a 3-0 Wildcats lead that forced a Tar Heels timeout.
Humphrey finally put UNC on the board with a woman-up goal at the 8:07 mark of the first quarter. After Abby LoCascio answered to restore a three-goal margin at 4-1, Osburn responded with two unassisted goals in a 40-second span, trimming the deficit to 4-3 after one.
Foster opened the second-quarter scoring to make it 5-3 Northwestern, but goals from Darcy Felter and Pattillo pulled UNC even at 5-5. The teams then traded woman-up goals — LoCascio for the Wildcats and Pattillo on a free-position attempt for the Tar Heels — to send the game to halftime tied at 6.
Carolina took its first lead less than three minutes into the second half when Humphrey set up Ingrilli for a 7-6 edge. Taylor fed McCollester off the ensuing draw to tie it, but Pattillo’s third goal and a free-position strike from Kate Levy pushed UNC ahead 9-7.
After a Tar Heel goal was wiped out on video review, Northwestern capitalized with a tally by Maddie Epke to cut the margin to 9-8. Ingrilli answered to make it 10-8, McCollester scored to cut it to one, and Humphrey’s record-tying goal off a Levy assist with 2:24 left in the third restored an 11-9 UNC lead heading to the fourth.
Lapointe started the comeback with her third goal 1:07 into the final quarter. McCollester tied it at 11 moments later, and Foster’s finish with 7:36 to play gave Northwestern a 12-11 advantage, its first lead since early in the second half.
McCollester’s fourth goal extended the gap to 13-11 with 6:03 remaining, and Taylor’s unassisted score with 1:18 left capped the 5-0 burst that sealed the championship.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Women's Lax: Northwestern stuns Tar Heels late to win NCAA title
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Northwestern (19-3) entered the final period down 11-9 but dominated the last 15 minutes to secure its ninth NCAA title and second victory over UNC this season. The Wildcats extended their winning streak to 14 games and avenged last year’s championship loss to the Tar Heels.
UNC (20-2) saw its 10-game winning streak end. Over the last two seasons, the Tar Heels are 41-2, with both defeats this spring coming against Northwestern.
Gabriella McCollester powered the Wildcats with four goals, three of them after halftime, including the go-ahead score during Northwestern’s game-changing fourth-quarter push. Aditi Foster and Taylor Lapointe each finished with three goals, while Madison Taylor had one goal and six assists, directing an offense that gradually wore down UNC.
Chloe Humphrey led North Carolina with two goals and two assists and tied the NCAA single-season record with her second score, matching the 109 goals Taylor scored for Northwestern last year. Addison Pattillo recorded her 17th career hat trick — and sixth straight game with at least three goals — and Eliza Osburn added two goals. Eva Ingrilli also scored twice.
Northwestern struck first and fast. Lapointe scored 58 seconds into the game off a pass from Taylor, then added an unassisted goal barely a minute later. A failed UNC clear set up Foster’s finish on another Taylor feed for a 3-0 Wildcats lead that forced a Tar Heels timeout.
Humphrey finally put UNC on the board with a woman-up goal at the 8:07 mark of the first quarter. After Abby LoCascio answered to restore a three-goal margin at 4-1, Osburn responded with two unassisted goals in a 40-second span, trimming the deficit to 4-3 after one.
Foster opened the second-quarter scoring to make it 5-3 Northwestern, but goals from Darcy Felter and Pattillo pulled UNC even at 5-5. The teams then traded woman-up goals — LoCascio for the Wildcats and Pattillo on a free-position attempt for the Tar Heels — to send the game to halftime tied at 6.
Carolina took its first lead less than three minutes into the second half when Humphrey set up Ingrilli for a 7-6 edge. Taylor fed McCollester off the ensuing draw to tie it, but Pattillo’s third goal and a free-position strike from Kate Levy pushed UNC ahead 9-7.
After a Tar Heel goal was wiped out on video review, Northwestern capitalized with a tally by Maddie Epke to cut the margin to 9-8. Ingrilli answered to make it 10-8, McCollester scored to cut it to one, and Humphrey’s record-tying goal off a Levy assist with 2:24 left in the third restored an 11-9 UNC lead heading to the fourth.
Lapointe started the comeback with her third goal 1:07 into the final quarter. McCollester tied it at 11 moments later, and Foster’s finish with 7:36 to play gave Northwestern a 12-11 advantage, its first lead since early in the second half.
McCollester’s fourth goal extended the gap to 13-11 with 6:03 remaining, and Taylor’s unassisted score with 1:18 left capped the 5-0 burst that sealed the championship.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Women's Lax: Northwestern stuns Tar Heels late to win NCAA title
Continue reading...
