An assortment of creatures — from Sponge-Bob SquarePants to a Chicago Cubs baseball player — boarded a bus Thursday outside of Patten Gymnasium.
The coaching staff of the Northwestern women’s soccer team decided to make costumes mandatory for the Wildcats’ flight west.
The Cats (4-8-4) left town in a cloud of mirth, with the upperclassmen’s “freshmen” costumes drawing eruptions of laughter from the team.
This was the scene for the Cats’ departure for their final two games of the season — with no postseason or .500 hopes left.
Zorro, bikers, mummies and some imitation of fellow teammates will be replaced by the NU black away uniforms as the Cats face Wyoming (4-11-1) Friday and Colorado College (7-7-1) Sunday.
“It’s exciting because it gets us away from the whole Big Ten community that was frustrating for us,” NU junior forward Kristen Pearce said.
The Cats finished the conference season two weeks ago with a 2-6-2 record.
NU head coach Jenny Haigh’s spirits have improved considerably since she first heard her team wasn’t going to the Big Ten tournament.
“This is great,” she said with a wide smile before boarding the bus. “This just shows that we have a great program with good people in it that are invested and want to have fun.”
The consensus best costume came from freshman midfielder Kate Ghidinelli, who countered the upperclassmen’s stabs at the first-years with an imitation of her own.
Ghidinelli’s portrayal of senior Aileen Guiney, with exceptionally detailed hair and a makeshift video camera bag, was met with screams of delight and flash after flash from the Cats’ cameras.
But the get-ups are all in good fun and underscore a deep appreciation for each teammate, Haigh said.
“They just want to respect each other, love each other and enjoy the experience,” she said.
The NU players said they would keep wearing their original attire proudly through the bus ride, O’Hare International Airport and the 960-mile plane ride to Wyoming.
“It’s an alternative to dressing nicely, which we usually do on plane trips,” defender Lindsey Veris said. “It just helps us get in the spirit and have fun.”
The Cats’ last two matchups of the year will feature a formation they’ve seen several times lately.
Both Wyoming and Colorado College employ 4-4-2 formations, as have NU’s last three opponents, Michigan State, Michigan and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
NU is coming off a 1-1 tie with Wisconsin-Milwaukee last Friday.
Haigh said that the Cats and their two opponents will all have similar goals for the weekend.
“We’re three programs that just want to finish the season strong,” she said. “None of us are headed to the postseason.”
But that isn’t bothering the Cats, who are eager to try and have some fun.
“It’s the last trip of the season and a last hooray for the seniors,” Haigh said. “They’ll get giddy and goofy and bond.”
Pearce said that while the players will be sad to see the seniors go, this weekend shouldn’t be an unhappy final chapter.
“It’s not really the end of our season,” she said. “I think of it as the beginning of what’s yet to come.”
NU (4-8-4) at Wyoming (4-11-1)
3 p.m., today
UW Soccer Stadium
Laramie, Wyo.
NU at Colorado Collage (7-7-1)
noon, Sunday
Sky Sox Complex
Colorado Springs, Colo.
