With program history already in the books, and another historic step there for the taking, the Colorado women’s lacrosse team is returning to where the magic started.
It was more than three months ago when a Buffaloes squad with tepid outside expectations began the season at perennial powerhouse Northwestern, which was coming off consecutive national title game appearances as well as six consecutive berths in the Final Four. The Wildcats also were only three days removed from an impressive opener of their own, winning 20-12 on the road at No. 3 Boston College.
The Buffs, meanwhile, hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since 2019. Colorado didn’t crack the preseason top 25 and was picked third in a mediocre, six-team Big 12.
Then CU went out and served notice the 2026 campaign would be different.
On Feb. 9, the , outscoring Northwestern 4-1 in the fourth quarter to kick off the season with a 10-9 victory. CU returns to top-seeded Northwestern on Thursday as the eighth seed in the NCAA Tournament to make the program’s first appearance in the quarterfinals.
“We knew all preseason and leading up into that first game the talent that we had and the experience and the leadership we had coming back into the team,” CU senior defender Mary Carson said. “For us, I don’t know if it was as surprising that game that happened as it was to the viewers and maybe to the fans, but it lit a fire under us to show us and reaffirm that we’re capable of a lot more than we’ve achieved in other seasons.”
It will be a high-stakes homecoming for head coach Ann Elliott Whidden, the only coach in the 13-season history of the CU program.
Elliott Whidden played for longtime Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller early in Amonte Hiller’s tenure with the Wildcats, winning three consecutive national championships as a premier defender between 2005 and 2007. Elliott Whidden cut her teeth as a coach under Amonte Hiller at Northwestern, winning three more national championships in 2009, 2011 and 2012 before leaving to start the new program at Colorado.
The teams have grown familiar since. Thursday will be the first postseason matchup between Elliott Whidden’s Buffs and her alma mater, but CU has faced Northwestern each of the past three seasons. The programs also meet regularly for fall exhibitions.
“An awesome opportunity for us. Having gone there the beginning of the season, we’re a little familiar,” Elliott Whidden said. “Obviously we’ve both played a lot of games since then. But itap a team we’re a little familiar with. Just what an exciting opportunity for us. Similar to how we started the season and how we’ve gotten here, we’ll have a lot of respect for Northwestern. We’ll know them well. But my team is going to focus on ourselves and just getting ourselves ready for that battle.”
The quarterfinal showdown will offer another huge test for the Buffs’ standout defense, which has held every opponent to single-digit goal totals and enters the matchup leading the nation in goals allowed at 6.63 per game. Northwestern features one of the top scorers in the nation in Taylor Madison, who ranks second in the nation in goals (88) and third in points (119).
Madison scored six goals during the season-opener against the Buffs, but she scored only one over the final 21 minutes as CU rallied.
“That game was one of the most fun I ever had,” said CU junior attack Teagan Ryan. “It felt like every single part of our offense, defense and midfield was just connecting and working. And it was all things we knew we were capable of, but it was almost a validation that we can do it. The rest of the season was our time to prove that we deserved that win.”
(8) CU Buffs women’s lacrosse at (1) Northwestern Wildcats
OPENING DRAW: NCAA Tournament quarterfinal, Thursday, 12:30 p.m. MT, Martin Field, Evanston, Illinois.
TV: ESPNU
RECORDS: Colorado 16-3; Northwestern 16-3.
KEY PLAYERS: Colorado — A Maddie Shoup, Sr. (43 goals, 20 assists); M Lily Assini, Sr. (30 goals, 21 assists); A Rachel Kennedy, R-Jr. (30 goals, 13 assists); A Teagan Ryan, Jr. (37 goals, three assists); A Jaimey Hill, Jr. (23 goals, 16 assists); A Rowan Edson, Fr. (27 goals, six assists); GK Elena Oh, So. (.465 save percentage, 6.61 goals-against average). Northwestern — A Taylor Madison, Sr. (88 goals, 31 assists); A Aditi Foster, So. (47 goals, 12 assists); M Taylor Lapointe, Jr. (28 goals, 15 assists); A Maddie Epke, Sr. (19 goals, 13 assists); A Olivia Adamson, Gr. (17 goals, 13 assists); M Noel Cumberland, Jr. (20 goals, five assists); GK Jenika Cuocco, Gr. (.519 save percentage; 8.79 goals-against average).
NOTES: The winner will play either fifth-seeded Stony Brook or fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins in the Final Four semifinals, which also will be played at Northwestern’s Martin Stadium on May 22. The championship match is on May 24. … The Buffs have won nine consecutive games, which trails only the 11-0 start by the 2017 team as the longest winning streak in program history. … Shoup owns 134 career points and needs two more to move into the Buffs’ all-time top 10. … The Buffs have tied the 16-4 team of 2017 for the most wins in program history. … Northwestern goalie Jenika Cuocco ranks fourth in the nation in save percentage. … Northwestern’s roster includes Boulder native and former Fairview star Gabriella McCollester. She has recorded six goals and three assists in 14 games, including an assist in the Wildcats’ second-round win against James Madison.
