Who is Izzy Scane? Meet Northwestern star dubbed 'Caitlin Clark of women's lacrosse'

Bill Bender

Who is Izzy Scane? Meet Northwestern star dubbed 'Caitlin Clark of women's lacrosse' image

Iowa women's basketball star Caitlin Clark wasn't the only Big Ten star to break an all-time scoring record in her sport this season. 

Meet Northwestern's Izzy Scane. The senior attacker for the Wildcats women's lacrosse team set the all-time NCAA scoring record this season and has a chance to lead Northwestern to another national championship this weekend.  

No. 1 Northwestern (18-2) takes on No. 2 Boston College (19-3) in the national championship game Sunday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. Game time is scheduled for 12 p.m.

When did Izzy Scane break NCAA goals record? 

Scane set the all-time NCAA scoring record in the 17-4 victory against Denver in the second round of the NCAA women's lacrosse tournament on May 12. 

Scane scored her 359th career goal in that game – which broke the record of 358 set by Charlotte North between stints at Boston College and Duke from 2018-22. Scane enters the national championship game with a chance to pad her total of 371 goals.

North set her record in 87 games. Scane has played 83 games at Northwestern.

Where is Izzy Scane from? 

Scane grew up in Clarkston, Mich., and was a competitive gymnast growing up in an athletic family. According to the Associated Press, Izzy's mother Patricia ran track at Grand Valley State, where her father Joseph wrestled. Izzy's three brothers all played lacrosse, and she enjoyed the sport once she tried it. 

"I loved it, right away," Scane told the AP. "I loved the physicality. I loved running up and down.  I was definitely a lax rat the second I touched a stick."

Izzy Scane career statistics 

Scane has played five seasons at Northwestern. She missed the 2022 season after suffering a torn ACL. The 2020 season was shortened because of COVID-19. 

Scane scored 98 goals in the 2021 season, and scored 99 goals in her return from the torn ACL in the 2023 season. She has 79 goals entering the weekend. 

Scane has scored 10 goals in a game twice in her career – the first on March 19, 2021 against Rutgers and the second on Feb. 16, 2023 against Notre Dame. 

Izzy Scane career statistics                                                  

YEARGAPTSSH%SOG%
2019621880.569.817
202029736.630.870
20219826124.505.727
20239935134.460.651
20248321104.480.734
TOTALS371107478.503.729

Izzy Scane in the NCAA tournament 

Scane has played in 13 career NCAA tournament games, and the Wildcats are 11-2 in those games. She has scored 56 goals with 22 assists in those games. In two tournament games this season, Scane has nine goals on 10 shots on goal and three assists. 

A look at Scane's career NCAA tournament game logs:

YEARGSHOTSSOGGAPTS
20193241810313
20213332617825
20234472418826
20243231813417

Izzy Scane and Caitlin Clark comparisons 

Scane and Clark were recognized at the Collegiate Womens Sports Awards and posed for a picture together in 2022-23. 

Clark made an unprecedented impact on NCAA women's basketball with back-to-back Final Four runs. She scored a NCAA record 3,951 points, which helped increase television ratings. Clark was the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft with the Indiana Fever. 

Scane does not have nearly the same amount of exposure, but the comparisons on the field are valid. Scane could become the sixth two-time winner of the Tewaaraton Award, which is given to the nation's top men's and women's lacrosse players. North won the award in 2020-21 and 2021-22 with Boston College.

One difference? Scane has a chance to win a second national championship with the Wildcats. Northwestern beat Boston College 18-6 in last year's national championship game – and Scane had four goals with two assists in the victory.

Bill Bender

Bill Bender Photo

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.