Chalk up two more losses to an already gloomy NU season.
With defeats at Illinois-Chicago and Indiana this weekend, the Northwestern men’s soccer team (0-13, 0-4 Big Ten) again recognized the distinct possibility of a winless season.
Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Flames (10-3-2) followed NU’s usual losing format — getting down early, fighting back with a goal and then falling behind again late in the game.
The loss prompted the Wildcats to hold a team meeting before Sunday’s bout with No. 8 Indiana. NU had battled the two-time defending national champion tough the past few years, and players knew another lackluster performance would mean a sure embarrassment.
NU players agreed “the season starts tomorrow,” according to senior Jun Kim.
And Sunday, the story was a little different for the Cats as they visited Indiana’s Bill Armstrong Stadium. They had control of the game in the early stages and seemed to be a rejuvenated squad. But in typical fashion, the Cats couldn’t come through with a win, dropping a 4-1 decision.
The Hoosiers (14-3, 5-0) rose to the No. 1 ranking after the win, but NU didn’t go down without a fight.
“Basically, for the first 30 minutes we dominated,” Kim said. “We had all the confidence in the world.”
Kim’s goal 45 seconds into the contest gave NU the first-half boost. The speedy forward took a cross from Steven Jedlinski and headed in the goal.
For a moment, the Cats were making the only noise in the usually hostile stadium.
“After I hit the ball, I looked at it sitting in the goal, and for a second I couldn’t believe it,” Kim said. “The whole team was very excited and we could feel the momentum building.”
Unlike previous games this season, the Cats didn’t let up after the first goal. NU’s defense held Indiana’s potent attack scoreless for more than 30 minutes.
The key play of the game was a shot from freshman forward Matt Miclea that nailed the goalpost and sailed wide. The shot, only ten minutes after Kim’s score, would have given the Cats a tremendous lift.
“If that shot would have gone in, it might have been a different game,” freshman defender Ian Herrick said.
The missed goal was a sign of things to come for the Cats, as the favored Hoosiers took over late in the first half. Three Indiana goals in a 10-minute span ended NU’s hopes of an upset.
And the usual excuses came out again.
“Our defense let them get too many balls,” Kim said. “We had a mental breakdown and let them back into the game.”
NU goalkeeper Chris Berlin mishandled the third goal and the Cats went into the half shaking their heads at a game now out of reach.
A fourth goal midway through the second half by Indiana’s Pat Noonan iced the victory for the Hoosiers, who have won 37 straight Big Ten matches.
“We weren’t intimated today, ” Kim said. “We were very excited at first and we ended up playing one of the best games of the season.”
Added a more subdued Herrick: “This was a very winnable game. We were upset that we lost.”
And although he was playing in only his fourth career Big Ten game, the NU freshman realized that the team’s excuses didn’t make up for one simple fact.
“The talent in their team definitely surpassed the talent in ours,” Herrick said.
