Northwestern women’s soccer slogs through slugfests as conference play begins

The Wildcats struggled to protect home field, but positive signs for the future abound.

One of the most consistent themes for Michael Moynihan’s squad in recent years has been play at home steering the course of the season. In 2018, when the Wildcats found their way into the NCAA tournament, they built a sterling 6-1-1 record at Martin Stadium. The return trip to the postseason in 2022 was fueled by an 8-2-1 mark in Evanston.

On the flip side, struggles at home have typically been the death blow to Northwestern’s postseason hopes. A 2-5-2 record at Martin Stadium in 2019 and a 4-2-3 home mark last season are two key examples of that trend. This season, the Wildcats are hoping to emulate those marks from 2018 and 2022, and not the struggle-filled campaigns of the odd years.

After a week in which Northwestern struggled to finish opportunities, the ‘Cats have a 3-1-1 home record. There’s some explanations for this, but protecting Martin Stadium will be paramount as Big Ten play begins in earnest.

September 12 vs. Purdue

This was a WEIRD game. After toppling No. 21 Virginia Tech at home just four days prior, Northwestern came into this contest with all the confidence in the world. The Wildcats were ready and eager to continue their defensive dominance that had seen them allow one goal in their last five matches, and continue their scoring streak (five goals in two games the prior week).

Instead, disaster struck. After two quick shots on goal failed to find the back of the next in the first five minutes, Northwestern looked to settle in and play the position battle. And then…this happened:

“A complete gift for Purdue” is a pretty accurate description of whatever that was. Northwestern still hasn’t quite figured out how to drop the ball back to Reiley Fitzpatrick (go back and look at Syracuse’s goal against the Wildcats if you need a refresher), and that is proving quite costly against certain opponents. Providing easy opportunities against the run of play is a nasty habit that this team has to kick if it hopes to find success in Big Ten play.

Other than the one mishap, the first half was great for Northwestern. The home side took eight shots, four of which were on net, and had five corner kicks in the first frame. Credit Purdue goalkeeper Emily Edwards for the 1-0 halftime score, as her four saves in that timespan were critical. The second frame was more of the same, with Northwestern mostly controlling possession and getting far more good looks than the Boilermakers. Even a two-shot flurry in the 63rd minute was turned back nicely by Fitzpatrick.

But even with 11 second-half shots and SEVEN second-half corner kicks, the Wildcats were unable to draw even. To add insult to injury, one of those corner kicks was almost immediately cleared out of the goal box by the Boilermakers. This was the result:

When it’s not your night, it’s not your night. Northwestern fell 2-0 despite putting 20 shots up, winning the corner battle by an obscene 12-2 mark and holding a 3-1 advantage in yellow cards. Ava Goodin had two shots on net, and four of her teammates (most notably Kennedy Roesch) added another shot on frame, but it just wasn’t enough on a night where the soccer gods clearly favored Purdue.

September 15 vs. Harvard

Speaking of those soccer gods, they continued to make life very difficult for Wildcats fans the following Sunday against Harvard. On a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Evanston, the Crimson jumped on Northwestern early, tallying a shot and corner kick within the first 45 seconds. Harvard kept the pressure on, and the result was one of the most beautiful connections you will ever see on a soccer field.

Good gravy. And that was about all she wrote for the first half, with Harvard outshooting the Wildcats 4-2 in the opening frame. The Crimson also tallied three corner kicks to Northwestern’s zero, and played basically the entire first half hour in Northwestern’s defensive half. The one break the Wildcats got was when Jade Rose, twice the Ivy League’s defensive player of the year, departed with an injury in the 26th minute.

With Harvard’s defense missing its leader, Northwestern sensed an opportunity to strike. Three shots from the home squad in the first seven minutes after the break set the tone for the second half early, and the Wildcats kept pushing as hard as they could. But after over 30 minutes of second half action, 10 Northwestern shots, and five saves from Harvard’s brilliant goalkeeper Rhiannon Stewart, the Crimson still held the lead. The Wildcats needed something big.

Yeah, I think that’ll do. What a gorgeous ball by Kelsey Kwon, and an even better chip finish by Roesch despite heavy defensive pressure. In the ensuing 13 minutes, Northwestern would tally five more shots, but none of them had the luck Roesch’s did. No matter. After a furious flurry of 16 second-half shots and four second-half corners, the Wildcats had done enough to earn a 1-1 draw. Credit to Fitzpatrick for three big-time saves, and Emma Phillips and Josie Aulicino for a combined five shots on goal that would have been easy goals if not for Stewart’s heroics.

Points to Ponder

Over its last two contests, Northwestern has put up 38 shots, 16 of which have been on frame. That is a mark of 42% shot accuracy, good enough for *checks notes* a tie for 261st in the country. Even worse, of those 16 shots that have found their way in between the goalposts, just one has found the net. That’s 6.25%, for a team that was converting 25% of their shots on net heading into the games last week. In some better news, Fitzpatrick has now made three saves in three consecutive games. And the defensive front of Nicole Doucette, Phillips, Tanna Schornstein and a platoon of Brooke Miller and Keira Wagner is starting to show some sensational chemistry. If the offense can get back to form, this team should be just fine.

What’s Next

It is time to dive DEEP into Big Ten soccer. 10 regular season games remain, and all 10 of them will be conference clashes. For the Wildcats, it’s an immediate challenge of the highest magnitude. First up, Northwestern travels to Penn State (No. 6 in RPI) for a Thursday night showdown on September 19th at 6 p.m. CST. And as the “recovery” game, the ‘Cats gifted a road trip to Columbus to take on Ohio State (No. 5 in RPI) on Sunday, September 22 at 11 a.m. CST. Buckle up. It’s about to get real.