Erin Coykendall carves up the Wolverine defense in a 2021 matchup. Coykendall led the team in assists against the Buckeyes on Saturday and is a vital part of a potent offense. Photo by Maren Kranking / North by Northwestern

It looks too easy.

Since losing to Penn State (8-6, 3-2 B1G) on March 22, Northwestern lacrosse hasn’t played a close game in weeks, winning by at least six goals in their past three games. The trend continued as the #1 Northwestern Wildcats (12-2, 4-1 B1G) dominated the Ohio State Buckeyes (7-7, 1-4 B1G) in a 19-10 win on Saturday.

The Wildcats have arguably the best trio of attackers in the country with sixth-year Izzy Scane, graduate Erin Coykendall and second-year Madison Taylor, but it was graduate attacker Dylan Amonte who tormented the Buckeyes with a career-high six goals. Coykendall and Taylor were not left out of the party, however, tallying eight points (goals and assists) and five goals, respectively.

NU scored early and often, taking an 8-2 lead after one quarter. The Buckeyes simply had no answer to the high-powered Wildcat offense which averages 17.79 goals per game, good for second in the nation.

Late in the third quarter, Ohio State did make the game look competitive, coming within four points of the Wildcat’s lead, but NU put any thoughts of a comeback to bed with a 6-1 scoring run to finish the game. From start to finish, it was purple all the way.

While it was neither their best offensive nor defensive outing, NU showed how well-rounded they are with solid performances on both sides of the ball. Ohio State mustered only 10 points and turned the ball over 22 times compared to 15 Wildcat turnovers. NU can score at will and put the clamps on teams when needed.

After this win, the Wildcats will head to Michigan on Sun. April 21, for their final regular season game before looking ahead to the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments. Despite a couple of stumbling blocks on the road, this Wildcat team looks poised to repeat as champions.