Losses hurt. Overtime losses especially hurt. Season-ending losses give a team something to think about for months.

The Ohio State field hockey squad beat Northwestern twice in 2000. Last September in Columbus, they used an overtime period to beat the Wildcats 2-1.

Later on in November, the Buckeyes upended NU 1-0 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

The Cats (1-6, 0-1 Big Ten) get their first chance to exact some revenge on the No. 9 Buckeyes (6-1, 2-0) today at Lakeside Field.

“They beat us two times last year,” senior Kathryn Breed said, “and it’s definitely time to show them what’s up.”

For the Cats defense — Breed, Lindsey Millard and Diane Provencher — the first order of business is stopping an Ohio State offense that ranks second in the Big Ten with 2.86 goals a match.

But paramount in Breed’s mind is Ohio State forward Marije van Nouhuys, one Buckeye that Breed says the Cats plan to “take vengeance” against.

The senior midfielder scored the decisive goal in Ohio Stat’es come-from-behind victory in Columbus last season, a thorn in NU’s paw.

“She’s a very confident player,” Breed said. “She’s a very showy player. It’s time to take some of that confidence away.”

Van Nouhuys is also an aggressive player, leading the conference with more than four shots a game. She has proved stellar for Ohio State, with five goals and two assists.

But Van Nouhuys isn’t even even the Buckeyes’ biggest threat.

With eight goals, sophomore Vanessa Immordino leads Ohio State — and the Big Ten — in scoring. She earned conference player of the week honors after last week’s seven-goal, one-assist weekend. Immordino notched a hat trick in Sunday’s 4-1 victory over No. 15 Iowa and scored both goals in the Buckeyes’ 2-1 win over No. 16 Penn State.

Freshman Lucy Clayton has made an impact in the midfield for the Buckeyes, starting every game and contributing three assists.

Defensively, goalkeeper Allison Blanton is the Buckeyes’ cornerstone. Second team All-Big Ten in 2000, Blanton owns a 63.6 save percentage and a conference-leading five shutouts, posing a significant obstacle to a Cats squad that has struggled to find its scoring touch as of late.

Junior Stacy Spenser, one of the leaders of an NU offense that has been shut out in four straight matches, is unfazed by Blanton’s gaudy statistics.

“A good goalie can be an awesome asset to a defense,” Spenser said. “But any good offensive play can beat any goalie.

“A great goalie can stop three out of five shots, but no goalie has a perfect save percentage.”

Spenser said that NU needs to make good on their chances when they do arise — something they haven’t accomplished during their current five-match losing streak.

“We just need to execute our opportunities, especially on penalty corners,” she said.

Breed says that the Cats’ current dry spell reflects poorly on the back line.

“Scoring goals starts with defense,” Breed said. “We have to make sure we maintain our midfield play so we have opportunities up front.”

To shake out of their slump, head coach Marisa Didio, who hopes to improve on the Cats’ 6-13 record last season, has emphasized holding on to their “core values,” intangibles like constant effort and a desire to move up in the conference standings.

Breed echoes Didio’s sentiments.

“We need to stay with our goals and respond to our opportunities,” Breed said. “We know how hard we have to work.”

Spenser has seen improvement in NU’s recent play, and views today’s match as a chance for NU to finally break through.

“We would have liked to win those games (during the current losing streak),” she said. “But each week we come back and see improvement in where we’re going.

“As long as we keep playing hard, the ball’s gonna drop our way.”