When Wisconsin midfielder Elise Weber broke through Northwestern’s defense in the 71st minute, she took the Wildcats’ hopes of making the Big Ten tournament with her.
Weber started her run outside the 18-yard box and came through unmarked. She received forward Amy Vermuelen’s back heel nudge and dribbled past goalie Whitney Jones’ tackle, guiding the ball into the goal.
In this span of less than fifteen seconds, the Badgers (9-8-2, 3-6-1 Big Ten) assured a spot in the tournament and sent NU (9-9-1, 2-7-1) packing, 1-0. The Cats’ lack of of offense, a problem spot during the conference season, ended their season with Friday’s loss.
“It’s disappointing that we were so close but couldn’t get over the hump and get in,” defender Laura Janowitsch said.
Just twelve minutes before the deciding goal, defender Katie Wright had to be helped off the field with an ankle injury. She didn’t return the rest of the game.
Coach Jenny Haigh said the team missed her leadership and her skill in set pieces.
“(Wright’s) such a smart player,” she said. “She makes great decisions.”
NU had a hard time applying pressure on the Wisconsin goal in the late stages of the second half, a fact Haigh attributed to the Badgers’ ability to win and possess balls in the midfield.
“We spent a little too much time defending,” she said. “We didn’t want to get caught defending so much in a game like today when we had to win.”
Midfielder Jenny Dunn said some of the trouble the Cats had possessing the ball came from confusion over playing in an unfamiliar formation.
Instead of playing two central midfielders and two on the wings, Dunn said all four midfielders were positioned centrally.
“We were confused about who was going to go to the ball,” she said.
Even with these troubles, NU was able to match the Badgers with sixteen shots, forcing nine saves from goalkeeper Lynn Murray.
The Cats’ best chance to equalize came in the 80th minute, when midfielder Jeanette Lorme fought off two defenders and fed Kelsey Hans on the left side of the goal. Hans’ shot was just wide.
“We had good enough looks to win it,” Haigh said.
This offensive frustration plagued the Cats during the conference season, when they out-shot opponents 179-142 but were outscored 17-12.
In its last five games, NU took 93 shots and only scored four goals, including a 0-35 string in its final two games.
Haigh praised the team’s determination, despite the frustrating season.
“They fought hard, they played well,” she said. “I was just proud of how they plugged away and stuck together.”
The Cats are a young team, with only four players graduating, two of whom received significant playing time.
Seven of NU’s starting 11 against the Badgers were freshmen or sophomores, along with 11 of the 16 players who saw action.
Dunn said the young team can use this season’s disappointment as a reminder in the years to come.
“We’re thinking about the future,” she said. “We know we could have made a lot more from this season. We’re going to get better and we’re never going to let this happen again.”
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