Northwestern Lacrosse proves its a fourth-quarter team in signature win over Maryland

With 6:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, Madison Taylor passed to freshman Kate Ratanaproeksa, who settled the ball in her pocket. She quickly spotted an opening on the right, sprinted past the Maryland defender, evaded a collapsing group of Terrapins and fired a shot past star goalkeeper JJ Suranio. After scoring her first goal of the evening, Ratanaproeksa immediately threw her stick down in excitement, as her teammates followed common custom by gathering around to congratulate her.

The emotional celebration came after Ratanaproeksa extended the Wildcats’ lead to 11-8 after trailing 8-7 earlier in the period. The first-year fires 💥 Ratanaproeksa extends the lead to 3️⃣ NU 11 | UMD 8 pic. twitter.

com/mk28KqYrFZ — Northwestern Lacrosse (@NULax) April 10, 2026 Ratanaproeksa’s goal and the celebration that followed were emblematic of this team’s resilience and grit when their backs are against the wall. This team rises to the occasion when the stakes are highest. Steady improvement, clutch performances and fearless comebacks often separate good teams from great teams; the ‘Cats showed this in their win over then-ranked No.

1 North Carolina, and they proved they could do it again in an 11-10 win over No. 1 Maryland in College Park on Wednesday. This rally wasn’t just reflected through the score.