If Big Ten soccer games lasted only 85 minutes, the Northwestern men’s soccer team would have won its past two games in regulation.

The Wildcats (10-4-2, 2-2-1 Big Ten) were lucky last week. They scored in overtime to pull out a win after Michigan tied the game with two minutes remaining in regulation.

But the Cats weren’t so lucky this week. Ohio State (8-5-2, 4-1) scored against NU with just three minutes left on the clock to tie the game at 1-1, then notched a goal 11 minutes later to snatch the overtime win.

The Cats can’t seem to explain their troubling last-minute performances.

“I don’t know man, I think it’s just bad luck,” freshman David Roth said. “I don’t think we do anything wrong, it’s just the way our season is going.”

NU’s loss was its first after a five-game unbeaten streak and only its second conference defeat this season. The Cats lost their chance to take over second place in the Big Ten from the Buckeyes. NU remains third in the conference, and its final conference placement will be determined when it plays Wisconsin on Sunday.

The Cats also will probably lose their first national ranking in program history (they were No. 25 last week) when the new rankings are announced today.