Northwestern attacker Madison Taylor had a big afternoon Sunday, even by her own NCAA Division I-leading standards.
In the Wildcats’ first game this season outside at the upgraded Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, Taylor had seven goals and four assists in the first half to lead No. 3 Northwestern’s 19-10 win over Oregon.
Taylor, who leads the nation with a 5.07 goals per game average, called it “a really cool experience” — and she’s expecting an even better one Thursday night at Northwestern’s lakefront stadium.
When Northwestern hosts No. 13 Michigan in an event it’s calling “Lacrosse Night in Chicago,” the Wildcats hope to set a program attendance record at Northwestern Medicine Field, also the temporary home of the football team in 2024 and 2025 as Ryan Field is rebuilt. Northwestern expanded capacity at the stadium to about 12,000 and made upgrades such as video boards and premium seating.
“The atmosphere is going to be amazing,” Taylor said. “I think it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime type of experience. I think we really are trying to take advantage of the new stadium that’s been built here. There’s just going to be a lot of special people that have come through Northwestern lacrosse there, and it’s going to be really exciting.”
Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, who has led Northwestern lacrosse to eight NCAA championships, said the Wildcats came up with the idea for the event after seeing the larger-scale successes of Iowa women’s basketball and Nebraska volleyball playing at football stadiums.
They plan to have a FanZone, will welcome back former Northwestern lacrosse stars Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall — who now play for the new professional Women’s Lacrosse League — to sign autographs and hope to draw in hundreds of young players and fans. Amonte Hiller wants the game, which will air on the Big Ten Network, to showcase the program in a stadium that in January was selected to host the NCAA women’s lacrosse national championship in 2026. It will be the first venue outside of the Eastern Time Zone to host the NCAA Division I title game.
“We really feel like we have something special here at Northwestern with lacrosse, with the amount of success that we’ve had over the years,” Amonte Hiller said. “With the new stadium we have, we felt this was a great opportunity. When we go outside, let’s do something special where we can really get a lot of people in the stands and really do something special for the sport of lacrosse, for women’s sports at Northwestern and really show that people can show up for a women’s game, and really see the beauty of how hard these women work, how athletic they are, how cool this game is.”
The game has added meaning because it is against a Michigan team coached by former Northwestern player Hannah Nielsen.
And it will feature Taylor, whom Amonte Hiller called “really a transcendent player in lacrosse.”
Taylor hails from Long Island, New York, where she played for the club team of former Northwestern player Shannon Smith, who inspired her to pursue playing at the college level. Now a junior, Taylor has been a difference-maker for the Wildcats since she came in as a freshman and scored five goals in her first game, despite making the switch from midfielder to attacker for the first time. She benefited that season from playing in a dynamic offense and consistently contributed, including becoming the first freshman to score four goals in the NCAA Championship game since at least 2005.
For the NCAA runner-up last season, Taylor ranked third in Division I with 83 goals scored and 116 points, behind national leader Scane, who had 88 goals. Using what Amonte Hiller called “next level” body control that she developed from playing multiple sports, including soccer and basketball, a great sense of the game and a work ethic to back up her talent, Taylor played her way to being named a Tewaaraton Award finalist in 2024.
This year has been a different challenge as the Wildcats had to overhaul much of their roster after losing multiple players to graduation, including Scane and Coykendall. Northwestern has counted on Taylor to provide leadership on and off the field for a team that is 12-2 entering Thursday’s game and is beginning to find a next level of cohesion heading into the postseason.
“This year has been a huge growth year,” Amonte Hiller said of Taylor. “She’s really the focal point of the offense relative to other teams and scouting, and just her leadership has been amazing. We have a full new group on the offensive end. And just everything that she’s done to help the group come together.
“She is really developing other aspects of her game even more. She’s really a dynamic player. She’s a great cutter, she’s a great dodger, you’re now seeing she’s really an elite feeder too. So it’s been fun to kind of see that develop. And I think she’s enjoyed taking on that additional responsibility and really lifting up the rest of the offense.”
Taylor, who also tops Division I with a 7.14 points per game average, has always been a lead-by-example type, but she has pushed herself into being a more intentional communicator this season. Amonte Hiller said that despite the increased role, she doesn’t see Taylor carrying a weight or pressure — but instead enjoying the relationship building.
Taylor said she learned that from some of her former elite teammates.
“It’s being a really positive communicator and showing everyone I believe in them so much and making everyone feel as confident as they can when they step onto the field,” Taylor said. “When everyone has trust and confidence in each other, it makes the team play a lot better.
“(The older players) showed me you don’t have to take everything so seriously and just have a lot of fun. For the most part, what you’re going to remember is the memories you have and the friendships you make, not all the little things in between. That’s one thing I’ve been trying to implement to all the new people here now.”
Northwestern wants the fun to continue Thursday night in their regular-season home finale. Taylor said the team hopes to host a contingent of young players from local club teams, and college players take pride in interacting with them.
“They’ll come to support us every game, so we want to make sure they feel supported back,” Taylor said. “I think it’s just so fun to interact with them after the games. It kind of makes you realize that it’s more than just a lacrosse game.”
Originally Published: April 17, 2025 at 6:00 AM CDT
