Northwestern's football team may have trouble winning a bowl game and the men's basketball progam may have never earned a bid to the NCAA tournament, but one thing is for sure: the women's lacrosse team is going down in history as the best in the sport's history.

            The Wildcats beat Syracuse 8-6 Sunday night in Stony Brook, N.Y. to win their seventh national title in the last eight years. NU finishes its championship season 21-2.

            Tewaaraton Award finalist Taylor Thornton, one of five finalists for the award, scored the winning goal for the Wildcats with 9:55 to go in the game. It seems fitting that Thornton scored that go-ahead goal and that she's probably going to earn that Player of the Year award when it is announced in the next few days.

            Shannon Smith, the 2011 Tewaaraton Award winner, scored two goals for NU and so did Erin Fitzgerald.

            Syracuse ended its season 19-4.

            The Wildcats dominance in women's college lacrosse is obvious. They won five consecutive national titles from 2005 to 2009. In 2010, NU lost to Maryland in the title game, but turned around and beat the Terrapins in 2011 for the championship.

            NU beat Maryland Friday night in the semifinals to earn a trip to the finals, while the Orange upset No. 1 Florida in double overtime in the other semifinal.