Tar Heels Top Northwestern For NCAA Title, 12-8

Sunday, May 25

Foxborough, Mass.

North Carolina

22-0

#3 Northwestern (NCAA Final)

19-3

Northwestern

North Carolina

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

May 25, 2025 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score 4x NCAA Champs!Final Stats (.pdf)Photo Gallery

By: Matt Bowers

FOXBOROUGH, MASS.— Redshirt freshman Chloe Humphrey exploded for four goals and an assist and her sister Ashley Humphrey dished out four assists as North Carolina topped Northwestern, 12-8 to win the 2025 NCAA women's lacrosse championship on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.

The Carolina defense limited the Wildcats to eight goals in a strong defensive game by both teams.

Northwestern's Madison Taylor, the nation's scoring leader with 109 goals, finished without a score after a stellar performance by UNC All-America Sam Forrest and the rest of the Tar Heel defensive unit. Carolina held Taylor scoreless for the first time in 45 games, although she did record four assists.

Eliza Osburn scored two goals in a nine-second span during a key stretch of the fourth quarter, and Olivia Vergano added two goals and an assist for UNC. Kaleigh Harden (six) and Sophie Student (five) combined for 11 draw controls as Carolina dominated that key stat, 17-7 and controlled possession for most of the game.

"Our team has been tough all year," head coach Jenny Levy said. "Nothing has fazed them. They were poised. We were a little nervous early, and settled down, and a total team effort. What Sophie [Student] did on the draw with Eliza Osburn and [Kaleigh] Harden was amazing, and just the opportunity to win a national championship doesn't happen for everybody. For these guys, it's a lifelong experience that they will always remember, and you will always be national champs, so congrats."

The Tar Heels captured their fourth national title (2013, 2016, 2022, 2025), all coming in the last 12 NCAA Tournaments (there was no tournament held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). UNC is now 4-2 all-time in NCAA finals.

Carolina's four championships are the third most in the history of the sport behind Maryland's 14 and Northwestern's eight. Levy's four titles are the fourth most in NCAA history. The victory also was the 443rd of Levy's head coaching career, tying Princeton's Chris Sailer for second in NCAA Division I annals.

UNC finished the season with a perfect, 22-0 record, matching the school record for wins in a season set by the 2022 squad that also went 22-0 and won the national title. Northwestern (19-3) saw its 11-game winning streak come to an end with a second loss this season to Carolina, which beat the Wildcats, 15-12, in Evanston, Ill., on March 27.

The Tar Heels are 37-12 in the last 17 NCAA Tournaments with four championships, six title game appearances and 11 semifinal trips in that span (since 2009). UNC is 97-12 in its last 109 games (89.0 percent) and has scored double-figure goals in 111 of its last 119 outings.

"At the end of the day, this team, I couldn't imagine being surrounded by these people, winning a national championship," Chloe Humphrey said after completing one of the best freshman seasons in NCAA history. "I always wondered who I'd be alongside, because I knew the goal one day would happen. I'm grateful that I have these people surrounding me. I'm just feeling grateful for everything that I have."

Chloe Humphrey was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament. Teammates Ashley Humphrey, Betty Nelson, Forrest and Osburn joined her on the All-Tournament Team.

Northwestern scored first and forced four turnovers in the opening 15 minutes before Carolina scored five straight goals to take a 5-1 lead. To close the first quarter, Chloe Humphrey, Kate Levy and Caroline Godine ripped off three goals in a row as UNC led, 3-1. The Tar Heel defense, the nation's best, held the Wildcats scoreless in the final 8:44 of the first quarter and won four of the last five draw controls.

Carolina eventually held Northwestern scoreless for nearly 17 minutes as it took a 5-1 lead midway through the second period. Wildcat goalie Delaney Sweitzer helped keep Northwestern in the game with nine first-half saves, but UNC led, 5-2, at the half.

Chloe Humphrey scored her third goal of the game less than five minutes into the second half to give the Tar Heels a 6-2 lead. The Tar Heels led, 7-4 and forced 13 Wildcat turnovers through three quarters.

After a scoreless stretch of 12:35, Osburn exploded for two goals in nine seconds to make the score 9-4 Carolina with 8:16 to play. UNC scored three goals in 46 seconds to lead, 10-4 with 7:45 left and put itself in a position to win.

Despite being face-guarded for much of the game, Ashley Humphrey was able to create offense with her playmaking. She broke the record for most assists in a single NCAA Tournament with 20 in four games this month.

Sweitzer finished with a season-high 17 saves for Northwestern. Nelson, the national leader in goals allowed per game, made eight saves and improved to 20-0 in her redshirt freshman season in the cage for the Tar Heels.

After the UNC women's soccer team won the NCAA title last fall, this marks the 13th time UNC has won multiple NCAA championships in the same academic year and the first time since 2022-23.

Inside the Box Score
• A crowd of 14,423, the largest in NCAA championship game history, was in attendance.

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