The good news: the Northwestern men’s soccer team has scored seven goals in six games.
The bad news: three of them have been in its own net.
The Wildcats’ latest “own goal” came in Friday’s loss at Wisconsin-Green Bay on a defensive error in the 14th minute.
After NU sent the ball rolling toward its wide-open net, Wisconsin-Green Bay’s Brandon Steenlage nudged it in for his first collegiate goal — the only score of the match.
NU coach Tim Lenahan predicted that there would be a lot of
1-0 games in his team’s future after the Cats (0-4-2, 0-2 Big Ten) lost two matches by that score, first to the Phoenix (1-5) on Friday and then to Michigan (5-1, 1-1) on Sunday.
“To score goals you need to be talented,” Lenahan said. “We’re not as talented and we know that.”
The Cats have been shut out in half of their matches this season.
But before they can tackle offense, the team is working on eliminating its inexcusable defensive mistakes. According to Lenahan, solving that problem is just a matter of time.
“Hard work and defense have to be a given,” Lenahan said. “They’ll give you a chance to win the game. We’ve reduced (the opponent’s) shot totals and we’re almost at the point where we’re doing well.
“When we get into a rhythm on offense, then we will get the 1-0 and 2-1 wins.”
Complicating the offensive scheme, team captain Grant Trimble continues to recover from a stress fracture in his foot.
The senior will not have surgery because it is his final season. Instead, he will see limited playing time, most likely about 20 minutes a half. Trimble will also move from midfielder to forward in order to reduce his defensive responsibility.
“We can run all the (offensive) plays we want and we still need the players to make shots,” Lenahan said. “This is only going to be solved through recruiting, but it doesn’t mean that we’re throwing this year away.”
Lenahan believes converting on set plays, such as corner kicks and post-foul free kicks, will be critical to the team’s offensive success.
Despite having seven corner kicks to Wisconsin-Green Bay’s zero, NU was unable to convert any of them.
NU’s first three goals of the season were scored off free kicks. But the Cats were unable to score on any of the six they had from the top of the box in Sunday’s match against Michigan.
One positive for NU has been the improvement in physical play.
“Fouling and being tough are different,” Lenahan said. “We have been fouling less but playing more physically. The important part is what you do when you have the opportunity to make tackles.”
On Sunday, Michigan had 24 fouls to NU’s 11. And in Friday’s game, Wisconsin-Green Bay committed 27 and NU had 11.
The Cats’ recent improvement is clear — NU committed 34 fouls in its season opener against Loyola on Aug. 31.
Both the offense and the defense should improve with the stability that has come to the lineup in the last two matches.
Among NU’s starters are four freshmen whose development will be a key for the team. A standout in the foursome is forward John Dahlquist.
“We’re looking for someone to step up and work off of him, to play with him,” Lenahan said. “Three of the four freshmen are locked into their positions and they are going to get better with every game.”
Dahlquist has been with the team for only six games in the Cats’ current winless streak, which reached 25 on Sunday. Still, the rising star can already see a difference in the team.
“We’re supposedly the underdogs in every match, so we have nothing to lose,” he said. “Our attitude is starting to change and we just want to get that win.”
