CARLISLE, Pa. — Gabby Norris (Gr., Danville, Calif.) scored six times – including five in the second half – to earn Player of the Game recognition and permit No. 2-ranked/No. 9 position/Sierra Pacific Division Champion the University of California to stop No. 11/No. 5 position/New England Division Champion Northeastern University, 12-8, in a semifinal at the 2026 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
Competing at the Carlisle YMCA Aquatic Center, the Golden Bears rallied back to earn their shot at the National Championship by outscoring the Huskies 5-1 and 5-2 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively, to overcome a 5-2 halftime deficit and roll into the National Championship game.
The 2015 and 2022 National Champion following an 8-3 defeat of the University of California-Santa Barbara at the Huntsville Aquatic Center in Huntsville, Ala., California has previously claimed first (2015, 2022), third (2023), fifth (2014), ninth (2025) and 11th (2013) at the National Collegiate Club Championship.
Cal earns its shot at the crown starting at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 19, against the victor of the other semifinal matching No. 1/No. 2 position/Big Ten Division Champion the University of Michigan versus No. 2/No. 3 position/Southwest Division Champion the University of California-San Diego.
Northeastern – which holds prior fifth (2025) and seventh (2024) place marks at the National Collegiate Club Championship – will clash with the fallen from the Michigan-vs.-UC-San Diego game at 11:30 a.m. in the Third Place game as the team is guaranteed to register its all-time best finish at the championship.
The Huskies appeared primed to shock the Golden Bears and set-up – if Michigan were to win – for the first non-California involved title tilt since Michigan State University-vs.-the University of Florida in 2006 (and the fourth overall as the University of Washington met Michigan State in 2000 and clashed with Florida in 2001 as well).
Kenza Ashworth (Jr., Palo Alto, Calif.) broke the ice for Northeastern with 4:48 left in the first quarter as the third-year cashed in a man-up opportunity to stake the Huskies to a 1-0 margin. Norris balanced the scoreboard at 2:43, but Adeline Hanson (So., Sonora, Calif.) tossed in another go-ahead strike for Northeastern at 2:11 as the New England squad exited the first seven minutes clutching a 2-1 margin.
Ashworth struck again 29 seconds into the second quarter to expand the lead to 3-1 and Alison Marie Kokorowoski (Jr., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) chipped it down to 3-2 at 5:25 to keep Northeastern from running away with the contest. However, Hanson (3:04) and Lindsay Cheung (Jr., Irvine, Calif.) (2:30, penalty shot) dented the twine to permit the Huskies to acquire a 5-2 lead entering halftime.
Cal’s potential title hopes began to dim in the first 20 seconds of the third quarter as Cheung swished a shot with 6:46 on the clock to widen the expanse to 6-2.
From there – the Bears became Golden as Norris (6:23; 2:15; one second), Isabelle Goodman (So., Newport Beach, Calif.) (1:46) and Kokorowoski (1:28) flipped a four goal deficit into a 7-6 lead exiting the third quarter.
California continued to pull away as Norris (6:08) and Kokorowoski (5:15) torqued in tallies to push the Golden Bears ahead 9-6 and cap off a 7-0 outburst.
Ashworth terminated the run by putting away a shot with 4:11 to shrink Notheastern’s deficit to 9-7.
Kokorowoski (3:10) and Mia Walsh (Fr., Oakland, Calif.) (2:20) terminated any comeback hopes the Huskies maintained as the duo delivered to expand Cal’s lead to 11-7.
Both teams deposited final tallies in the closing moments of the contest as Ashworth (1:45) and Norris (1:23) nailed concluding blows to establish the 12-8 final score.
Ashworth led the way for Northeastern with four goals, while Cheung and Hanson slipped in pairs. Goalies Kathleen McClatchie (Jr., Los Altos, Calif.) and Aasees Sandhu (So., Santa Clara, Calif.) notched 10 and two saves, respectively.
Norris (six), Kokorowoski (four), Walsh and Goodman combined for the Golden Bears’ fire-power to support a nine save effort by netminder Cece Lutz (Fr., Berkeley, Calif.).
Northeastern University’s Aasees Sandhu (#1A)
Northeastern University’s Avery Emison (#6) & University of California’s Isabelle Goodman (#5)
University of California’s Alison Marie Kokorowoski (#14) tries to get round Northeastern University’s Lindsay Cheung (#8)
University of California-San Diego goalkeeper Cece Lutz (#1A)
