Coach Tim Lenahan said he’s a believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason.

So after a tough loss to Wisconsin last Sunday, he saw the seventh-seed in the Big Ten tournament as a good thing.

The loss gave the Wildcats (9-6-2, 1-4-1) a chance to play second-seeded Ohio State (10-6-2, 3-2-1) in Thursday’s opening round of the conference championships.

“We chose not to tie against Wisconsin. We chose our path,” Lenahan said. “We were either going to play Michigan State or Ohio State. We weren’t going to play Indiana in the first round. Although the loss was tough, it matches us up with probably our closest rival in terms of standings and (Ratings Percentage Index).”

Since there are only six games in the Big Ten regular season, Lenahan said the seedings for the tournament are not that important.

Case in point: Indiana is ranked No. 2 in the country but has the third seed this weekend.

“Back when Northwestern was 0-1000, being the second seed was a big deal,” Lenahan said. “Now it’s not. It’s almost like you’re cursed. Last year we finished third, and we had to play Penn State, who was ninth in the country.

“When Wisconsin won (Sunday), I shook their coach’s hand and said, ‘Congratulations, you just finished sixth. Good luck with Indiana.'”

Avoiding the tie against Wisconsin helped the Cats avoid Indiana in the first round.

Lenahan said NU will most likely need a win in the first round to stay alive for an NCAA tournament bid.

The Cats have the advantage of hosting the Big Ten tournament this weekend. They have a 5-1-1 record at home, but the Cats have not beaten Ohio State in the past four years.

“It’s going to be nice to not have to travel and stay in a hotel,” senior midfielder Jaro Pylypczak said. “The Big Ten tournament is a great atmosphere overall. And I’m excited to get one more shot at Ohio State.”

The winner of Thursday’s game advances to Friday’s semifinal against the winner the first round game between Indiana and Wisconsin.

Reach Scott Duncan at [email protected].