The Northwestern field hockey team returned from a weekend trip to Bloomington, Ind., having snapped their six-match losing streak, having lost in overtime to a top-10 opponent and having found a role that they plan to thrive in for the remainder of the season.

“We’re right on the edge of being a spoiler,” head coach Marisa Didio said after her team defeated Indiana 4-1 on Friday and lost a 2-1 overtime decision to No. 9 Louisville on Saturday. “We’re gonna be a spoiler somewhere along the way.”

But Didio doesn’t use the phrase in the standard sense. The Cats (2-8, 1-2 Big Ten) haven’t given up on their season, a campaign that has just reached the midway point. Currently in sixth place in a seven-team conference, they’re focusing on upsetting those highly ranked opponents that their schedule always features.

“We anticipate that other teams look at us as out of contention,” junior Stacy Spenser said. “It’s exciting to be in that position. We’re underdogs. We have nothing to lose, and we can beat anybody.”

The Cats got on the board early against Louisville (10-1, 4-1 Mid-American Conference), as forward Juli Fomenko gave the Cats a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest.

NU was coasting to a halftime lead when Louisville’s Joanie Frame scored on a second effort with less than a minute left in the half. After her initial attempt grazed the post, she put the rebound past Cats’ goaltender Katie Hall.

Louisville peppered Hall throughout the second half, firing 12 shots and coming up empty each time. The Cats offense launched just one shot during that stanza.

In the six-on-six overtime session, the Cardinals’ attack was even stronger. They were denied on six shots before Olivia Netzler’s attempt skipped past Hall and into the cage for the win. NU is now 1-2 in overtime decisions.

“Going in to overtime, we believe we’re going to win every time,” senior Kathryn Breed said. “And losing hurts just as much every time.”

Hall’s play was a main reason why the Cats stayed in Saturday’s game — Louisville outshot NU 28-5.

“She came up with a number of big-time saves,” Breed said. “It’s good to know (the defense) can count on our goalie to make big saves.”

The Cats did have a chance in the Louisville-dominated extra period, but they failed to convert on a penalty corner.

“All you need is one opportunity, one corner,” Didio said. “We execute that corner, and the game’s over.”

Execution wasn’t the problem for NU in Friday’s victory over Indiana (1-8, 0-2).

In a change from the early part of the season, the Cats lost statistical battles with the Hoosiers but executed in the crucial moments to come away with a win. The Cats’ 1-7 start included a host of defeats in which the scoreboard displayed a more decisive margin than the play on the field indicated. On Friday, each team launched seven shots, but Indiana had 11 penalty corner chances to NU’s six.

But the Cats made the most of their chances, scoring three goals off re-starts.

“We executed on corners, and that made the difference,” Spenser said. “But we still need to work on it.”

Fomenko and Suzi Sutton scored in the first half for NU, and Provencher and Millard added second-half tallies.

Hall had five saves on Friday and 13 on Saturday.

While the sophomore goalie has split time with junior Kendra Mesa for much of the first half of the season, she has started NU’s last three matches. Didio, no stranger to juggling a lineup, won’t commit to Hall as a full-time starter.

“For every player it’s the same thing,” Didio said. “Each week everybody earns their spot. It’s no different for a field player or a goaltender.”

NU could take on the spoiler role again next weekend, as it takes on top-20 opponents Penn State and Iowa.

“It was a really positive weekend,” Spenser said. “We played really well. It’s the best we’ve played against a top-10 team.

“We know we can play with anyone, and we can beat anyone if we play our best.”