Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
16-4
Northwestern
16-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | OT 1 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Northwestern | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
Sensational Season Ends With Double OT Loss At Northwestern
May 14, 2026 | Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. The Colorado Buffaloes' historic postseason run came to a heartbreaking end Thursday afternoon as No. 2 and top-seeded Northwestern edged CU 13-12 in double overtime in the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament Quarterfinals at Martin Stadium.
Colorado (16-4) erased a late one-goal deficit in regulation when Maddie Shoup scored with just four seconds remaining to force overtime, but Northwestern's Noel Cumberland converted a free-position shot with 1:43 left in the second overtime period to send the Wildcats (18-2) to the NCAA Final Four.
The ending came amid controversy after officials reviewed a dangerous follow-through on a Madison Taylor shot attempt with 2:00Â remaining in the second overtime. The review upheld the no-call despite video replay appearing to show contact to the head of a Colorado defender, allowing Northwestern to retain possession and earn the decisive free-position opportunity, which would have been wiped out if the call came out differently.
Despite the loss, Colorado completed the deepest NCAA Tournament run in program history while tying the 2017 Buffaloes for the most wins in a season in school history. The Buffs also claimed the program's first Big 12 Tournament championship and earned the highest-ranked win in program history earlier this season with a victory at then-No. 2 Northwestern in the season opener.
"I'm proud of my team for the fight," said head coach Ann Elliott Whidden. "There were times we could have given up or not come out confident, and I'm proud of our ability to even get the game into overtime there. We were just one play short."
Shoup led Colorado offensively with four goals and four assists, while Teagan Ryan added four goals, including three in the opening quarter. Rowan Edson chipped in two goals and two assists and goalkeeper Elena Oh came up with several critical saves late, including multiple stops in overtime to keep the Buffaloes alive. Madison Taylor led Northwestern with four goals and two assists.
Colorado led for more than 40 minutes and twice built three-goal advantages against one of the nation's premier programs before the Wildcats rallied late. The Buffaloes also fell for the first time all season when scoring at least 10 goals, entering the night 13-0 in such games.
"I'm so proud of this group from the beginning of the season to the end," Whidden said. "We've had some tough moments and ups and downs, but this group learned from those moments, worked hard and believed in themselves. That's why we got to this point."
How It Happened
Northwestern struck first just under three minutes into the game before the Buffaloes answered with a flurry powered by their extra-man offense. Shoup tied the game at 1-1 off an assist from Edson before Ryan scored just 15 seconds later to give Colorado its first lead. After the Wildcats evened the score again, Ryan added another extra-man goal off a feed from Jaimey Hill to put the Buffs back in front at 3-2. Shoup later scored off an assist from Lily Assini and Ryan completed a first-quarter hat trick with 2:28 remaining as Colorado carried a 5-3 advantage into the second quarter.
Northwestern slowly clawed back in the second period, tying the game at 5-5 midway through the quarter behind goals from Madison Taylor and Maddie Epke. Colorado responded with another late-half surge, beginning with Ryan's fourth goal of the night on another player-advantage opportunity. Edson then scored off another Shoup assist before Rachel Kennedy found the back of the net with just five seconds remaining in the half to send the Buffaloes into the break with an 8-6 lead.
The Buffs appeared poised to create separation early in the third quarter when Shoup scored less than a minute into the half to extend the lead to 9-6. Northwestern answered immediately, however, scoring three of the next four goals to erase the deficit. Averi Gardner temporarily halted the run with her goal off an assist from Edson that gave Colorado a 10-8 edge with 3:29 left in the quarter, but the Wildcats scored twice in the final two minutes of the period — both on extra-man opportunities — to tie the game at 10-10 entering the fourth.
Hill gave Colorado the lead again midway through the fourth quarter, but Northwestern answered with consecutive goals from Taylor Lapointe and Madison Taylor to move in front 12-11 with just over three minutes remaining. With the Buffaloes' season hanging in the balance, Shoup delivered again, scoring with four seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
Northwestern controlled much of the overtime possession, winning both draw controls and repeatedly pressuring the Colorado defense. Oh came up with several critical saves in the extra sessions, denying Annabel Child, Aditi Foster and Taylor to keep the Buffs alive despite limited offensive opportunities. Colorado's best late chance in the first overtime came after Northwestern committed a turnover with 11 seconds remaining and was issued a yellow card, allowing the Buffs to clear into the attacking end before the horn sounded.
The Wildcats again controlled possession in the second overtime and eventually earned a free-position opportunity following the official review for a dangerous follow-through. That allowed Northwestern to retain possession where Cumberland converted the decisive free-position shot moments later.
Notes
Colorado advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time in program history after defeating Jacksonville and Denver in the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament … The Buffaloes finished the season with a program-record nine-game winning streak prior to Thursday's loss … Colorado's 16 wins matched a school record set back in 2017 … Shoup's four-goal performance marked her team-leading ninth hat trick of the season … Ryan recorded the fourth four-goal game of her career and extended her goal streak to 10 straight games … Colorado scored four extra-man goals in the contest … The Buffaloes finished the season with victories over both No. 2 Northwestern and No. 4 Florida … Colorado allowed 13 goals to Northwestern, two under the Wildcats average, and CU finished the season allowing 6.95 goals per game and will likely finish No. 2 for goals against average in the NCAA … The Wildcats were the first team to score 10 goals against the Buffs this season, and Colorado is the only team nationally only to have just one 10-goal games against it this season … Maddie Shoup finished her season with 47 goals and 24 assists for 71 points … Her 71 points ranks seventh in CU history … Her 24 assists ranks sixth all-time with Lily Assini one behind with 23, ranking seventh in program history … Assini closed her senior season with 53 assists, tied for fifth all-time … Shoup closes her senior season with 99 career goals and 43 assists for 142 points … Her 99 goals ranks tied for eighth in program history and 147 points ranks 10th all-time and her assists ranks eight-most … Teagan Ryan went over the 40-goal plateau with her four on the day for 41 on the season … She now has 67 career goals through her junior season … Elena Oh finished with 120 saves on the season and now has 203 in her two-year career, already No. 4 on CU's career charts … Her 120 saves this season ranks eighth in program history.
Quotes
Coach Ann Elliott Whidden
"I'm proud of my team for the fight. There were times we could have given up or not come out confident, and I'm proud of our ability to even get the game into overtime there. We were just one play short. Obviously Northwestern is a great team with such a strong history of success and Final Fours, and best of luck to them in the next round. For us, I'm proud of the group and proud of my senior class for everything they've given this program."
"I'm so proud of this group from the beginning of the season to the end. We believed in ourselves and fought all season long. We've had some tough moments and ups and downs, but this group learned from those moments, worked hard and believed in themselves. That's why we got to this point. Nobody wants the season to end, but I don't think that senior class will ever know how much they've given this team, this program and myself."
"I think even in those final minutes of regulation, we believed through and through that we could win the game. We had to get a couple stops defensively just to get the ball back, and I'm proud of the team for fighting in those moments. Maddie had an amazing day and that's a testament to her competitiveness and confidence. We just needed to make one more play."
"We needed to be a little bit better in the clear because against a really good team you can't give away too many opportunities. But I'm proud of the defense. They had a rough start in overtime and still came up with some huge stops. At the end of the day, it was a great game."
"This is huge for our program. Playing on this stage and having success gives you confidence and motivates you to work harder and come back stronger next year. Hopefully this senior class has passed a lot of that belief and confidence on to our younger players moving forward."
