So much for guarantees.
Despite men’s soccer coach Tim Lenahan’s promise of victory in the Wildcats’ road match against Western Michigan on Friday, NU (0-11-2, 0-5 Big Ten) lost 2-1 in overtime.
The Cats took a 31-game winless streak, which extends back to the 1999 Big Ten tournament, into the match with Western Michigan.
Following NU’s loss to Marquette on Wednesday, Lenahan had promised a victory, saying, “We’re winning. We’re ending the streak.”
But NU couldn’t follow through with the long-awaited win.
Lenahan’s prediction almost came true with less than a minute left in regulation.
Freshman John Dahlquist headed the ball to freshman Mike Henry. Henry beat the Western Michigan defender and the goalkeeper, but his shot hit the inside of the goalpost and bounced back to goalie Ian Spooner, who pounced on the ball.
“If they were square posts, maybe it would have gone in,” Henry said. “We were an inch away from winning.”
When that shot failed to go in the net, Western Michigan and NU headed into overtime.
In the extra period, the Broncos’ Tony Moucloulis sent a shot past NU goalie Adam Grossman at 92:33. It was the Cats’ first overtime loss of the season.
“I was trying to show (the team) a vote of confidence,” Lenahan said in reference to his guarantee. “I truly thought we were going to win. It was a motivational tool for the team saying I still have faith in them.
“There was a sense of opportunity for us that we don’t feel every game, and we almost made the most of the opportunity.”
Western Michigan (5-7) appeared to be NU’s best chance for a win this season, especially with the cancellation of this Wednesday’s game against Lewis, a Division II program. In 2000, the Cats tied Lewis in the only game of the season they didn’t lose.
NU has only a few more matches left to prevent its second straight winless season. The Cats take on Northern Illinois (3-10) in DeKalb, Ill., and host Wisconsin (7-5-1, 0-2). The Cats could have another match against Valparaiso, but that game will only be played if NU loses in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
The Cats continued their season-long habit of letting the opponent score first in the Western Michigan match. NU has not held a lead all season. The team’s last lead was on Oct. 29, 2000, in a game it eventually lost to Michigan in double overtime.
Lenahan said the Cats had trouble with Western Michigan’s size during the match.
“They’re a very large, very big team,” he said. “We got beat on two head balls, which were their only chances to score. (Their size) caused us some problems with services in the box.”
The Broncos struck first in the match, scoring at 6:44 of the first half. The goal came on a header by Chad Wiseman off a corner kick by Mike Bravo.
Sophomore Jeremy Cook scored his first collegiate goal in the game to tie the score at 1 in the 36th minute. The goal was the Cats’ seventh of the season in 13 games. Each of NU’s goals has been scored by a different player.
Lenahan praised the play of both Henry and Cook. Henry is a walk-on and Cook was recruited from the club soccer team last season.
“The two of them almost got to be the heroes of the game,” Lenahan said.
Lenahan doesn’t see the game as NU’s last chance for a win. He stressed the fact that the Cats’ season isn’t over, and he pointed out that every team in the Big Ten makes the postseason tournament.
“We’re not quitting,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere. I was disappointed for them. They deserved a win.”
