Northwestern earned the No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, the selection committee announced Sunday night.
By earning a top-three nod, the Wildcats (16-2, 8-0 Big Ten) will hold home-field advantage at Martin Stadium throughout the first three rounds. The Final Four will be hosted at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, from May 23 to 25.
Following a 16-2 regular season and an undefeated Big Ten campaign, NU slots behind No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Boston College — the ’Cats’ two losses this season — in the tournament’s bracket.
Fresh off a last-second Big Ten Tournament win over No. 6 Maryland, NU boasts a first-round bye and will meet the winner of Michigan and Akron in the second round.
By making the 2025 tournament, the ’Cats claimed their 21st consecutive tournament appearance. Excluding the 2020 season, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NU and coach Kelly Amonte Hiller have made every NCAA Tournament since 2004. If the ’Cats can put together a string of wins, NU has the opportunity to clinch its ninth national championship.
Junior attacker Madison Taylor, a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award, has scored 89 goals this season while averaging a nation-best 4.94 goals per game. High Point’s Abby Hormes scored 103 goals during the 2022 season, a Division I record. Taylor will need to score 15 goals over the remainder of the season to eclipse that mark.
Last year, the ’Cats’ season ended in a heartbreaking loss to the No. 2-ranked Eagles (17-2, 8-1 ACC) in the national championship. Boston College took this year’s regular-season matchup with a 13-9 win in February.
The ’Cats take the field at Martin Stadium on Sunday, May 11, to open their postseason play.
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