After a 4-2 loss at Ohio State on Saturday, Northwestern finds itself with a losing record for the first time this season. The loss was the 17th straight time the Buckeyes (8-6, 1-3 Big Ten) defeated the Wildcats (7-8, 1-3).

“I think every time we play them it is a great match,” coach Kelly McCollum said. “Even though the scores have been pretty even in the past, I think we were a lot closer this year.”

Ohio State led the entire match, scoring in the 26th minute of the game, then striking for a second time only three minutes later.

This was the second straight game the Cats gave up consecutive goals in a short period of time.

“We are trying to solve that problem,” McCollum said. “We have lost a little bit of discipline, and we need to keep working on our focus.”

Junior Ellen Schlafly scored her first goal of the season on an assist from freshman Cassie Miller as time expired in the first half, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 2-1.

“We had momentum going into halftime after Ellen (Schlafly) scored and should have had it going into the second half,” McCollum said. “But we lost it.”

Eleven minutes into the second half the Buckeyes scored on a penalty corner, which would ultimately be the game-winner.

The Cats and Buckeyes each scored a goal in the final 25 minutes of the match, with senior Candice Cooper scoring her 17th goal of the season, extending her goal-scoring streak to five games. The Cats are 1-4 during the streak.

“We need to have consistency from the team,” McCollum said. “The job of the attack is to score and the defense to deny.

“We need to be more stringent on both ends.”

With the assist on Cooper’s goal, Miller has a goal and three assists in the past two games.

She is second on the team with four goals and tied with Schlafly with five assists.

“Cassie has grown up as a player and really improved her performance,” McCollum said. “She has been in and out of the lineup, and earned the start this weekend.

“She did well with the start.”

Miller was one of four freshmen to start the game.

Fourteen of the 22 players on the roster are underclassmen.

Junior goalie Kelly Augustine got her first start of the season, giving up four goals on 22 shots and making seven saves.

“We needed to give Kelly (Augustine) a chance,” McCollum said. “She has been working hard in practice and looking at how many goals we have given up lately, we needed a change.

“And I think Kelly did a fine job.”

Sophomore goalie Sherri-Anne Nyberg, who usually starts, has given up an average of 1.71 goals per game and has three shutouts.

Since blanking Iowa 1-0 earlier in the season, the Cats have gone 1-5, giving up 17 goals in six games, almost three per game.

In the eight games before Iowa, NU gave up 12 goals, only a goal and a half per game.

“We are still trying to get the next step in turning the program around,” McCollum said. “And I think we are headed in the right direction.

“We did end the (losing) streak to Iowa earlier this season.”

Reach Abraham Rakov at [email protected].