Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Northwestern
Buffs Upset No. 2 Northwestern
February 09, 2026 | Lacrosse
Marks the highest ranked win in program history
EVANSTON, Ill. – Colorado lacrosse made history Monday night with an upset win at No. 2 Northwestern to start the season. The Buffaloes' upset marked the highest-ranked win in program history.
Colorado trailed 9-8 in the fourth quarter and battled back with two goals down the stretch to secure the biggest upset of the young lacrosse season.
"I think we've always believed in ourselves, but it's hard when for five weeks, the only people you play are yourself to know where you're really at," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden expressed after the win. "We knew coming in here was going to be a huge test for us, especially after last year coming in and what happened [20-5 loss]. But I think we remained focused on ourselves. And I think when this team can focus on themselves, a lot of great things can happen."
Senior Maddie Shoup led the Buffs with five goals on six shots. Rachel Kennedy, playing in her first game since 2024, scored two goals and had an assist in her return to the lineup. Sophomore Elena Oh made eight saves, including three in the final three minutes, to hold the high-power Northwestern offense to under 10 goals for the first time at home since falling to No. 3 Boston College 13-9, Feb. 15, 2025.
"It just comes down to trusting in our goalie and trusting in our defense," Shoup noted. "We know what our defense is capable of, so we need to rely on them at the end of the game. We know they're going to make the stop. I mean, Elena came up with three great saves. Jess [Peluso] had a ton of knockdowns. We had some checks and everything, but at the end of the day, we know we can rely on our defense for anything."
The win also marked Colorado's first road victory over Northwestern in program history. CU improves to 2-5 all-time against the Wildcats. Northwestern falls to 1-1 after opening its season on Friday with a 20-12 win over No. 3 Boston College.
"I think this is huge for us," Whidden added. "I think just building off of the seasons we've had, we've had some great seasons, we've been in games, we've had some tough moments and things we can't control. To come out here, focus on ourselves, and get this win, it's huge.
"Rankings aside, I think we just have so much respect for Northwestern and the type of team we are. I mean, they're a team that's played in more Final Fours than most teams. With that in mind, this is a great opportunity for us to come here and, obviously, a great result for us. We know this is a long season, too, and we'll enjoy it now, but then we'll refocus.
How it Happened
Colorado took it to Northwestern from the opening draw, controlling the possession early and often in the first quarter. CU landed six of its nine shots on goal in the first period and had a shot from Jenna Moreley ring off the post. Teagan Ryan opened the scoring for the Buffs, ripping a shot back across her body. Rachel Kennedy and Maddie Shoup added two more tallies for the Buffs to take a 3-0 lead by the 5:15 mark.
"I think any time, especially when you're playing a great opponent like Northwestern, that you can gain a little momentum early is huge," Whidden explained. "I think anytime we can find some stops on defense is really huge, because you can rely on that. Especially today, we had a tough, tough time at the draw, and it was good for our offense to get a little momentum and confidence early."
Colorado's defense held the Wildcats in check over the first 15 minutes. CU caused seven turnovers in the frame and didn't allow a NU shot on goal until Aditi Foster found the net with 4:26 to go in the quarter, cutting the CU lead to 3-1.
Northwestern thought it had scored a second goal at 2:48, but the call was overturned, and instead a two-minute penalty was assessed to Madison Taylor to close out the quarter.
The Buffs added to the lead in the first minute of the second quarter, with Kennedy notching her man-up second score of the night to make it 4-1.
Northwestern's offense gained steam in the second quarter, getting a spark from Hannah Rudolph's goal to cut the CU lead to 4-2 with 13:18 to go in the half. Jaimey Hill responded for Colorado, scoring on a free-position opportunity with 11:50 to play. NU outshot the Buffs 9-5 in the quarter and scored twice in the final minute, trimming the CU lead to 5-4 at the half.
Madison Taylor, the NCAA's active leader in points, scored the second of her six goals to tie the game inside the first minute of the third quarter. Taylor scored all four of the Wildcats' goals in the period as Northwestern took the 8-6 lead into the fourth quarter.
Shoup and the Buffs' offense, needing two goals to climb back, revved back up in the final 15 minutes. The senior attacker led the charge with two unanswered goals to even the game at 8-8 with 10:10 left to play.
"I feel like I played off of the rest of the team's energy, and it really helped me," Shoup expressed. "I think everyone had a role in this game, whether you're on the field or not. I think we all push each other, and I don't know, we just came up with the win."
Northwestern claimed the lead back at 9-8 with Taylor's final tally of the night, leaving Colorado with 9:17 to even up the scoreboard.
It was another senior, Lily Assini, who would bring the Buffs back to even with a man-up goal at the 6:08 mark, setting the table for the final five minutes.
The Buffs, who struggled in the draw circle all night, were unable to win the ensuing draw, putting Northwestern on the attack. Oh stopped a shot from Taylor, and the Buffs pounced on the rebound and headed back down on the attack.
Shoup made a run down the left side of the arc, snuck her shot between Jenika Cuocco's legs, scoring the eventual game-winner with 4:25 to go.
The Buffs' defense stood tall in the final four minutes, withstanding four Northwestern shots. Oh made three saves, including a final stop on Gabriella McCollester with 10 seconds to play, to seal the upset victory.
Notes
Colorado is now 2-4 all-time against ranked opponents to start the season…Monday was the highest-ranked win in program history, previously vs No. 6 Penn State in 2017…CU lost the draw control battle, 17-4…Colorado was eight better in groundballs, 20-12…Monday was Shoup's eighth career hat trick…Freshman Rowan Edson made her first career start…Molly Reed had a team and career-high five ground balls…CU is now 2-5 all-time against Northwestern.
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