By Brian ReganThe Daily Northwestern
Playing against a top-10 opponent on the road has become commonplace for Northwestern this season with the same results each time.
This time the team was Ohio State and the outcome was a 4-0 loss.
Despite losing its second straight Big Ten match, Northwestern picked up a win against a non-conference foe on the tail end of its roadtrip.
The Wildcats (7-8, 1-3 Big Ten) notched their third victory against the Mid-American Conference out of five teams in that conference the Cats have played this season, beating Kent State (5-12) 2-1 on Monday to salvage a split for the weekend.
“I think we did what we set out to do,” coach Kelly McCollum said, “which was to focus on our preparation and consistency and play at an energetic tempo from start to finish.”
Ohio State (11-2, 3-1) laid waste to the Cats’ defense Sunday, punishing the Cats for 19 shots and six corners. The No. 7 Buckeyes kept NU’s offense out of the cage to record their fifth shutout of the season and remain unbeaten at home.
The Cats held Ohio State scoreless for the first 20 minutes of the game, but after the first goal, the Buckeyes found their rhythm and made it hard for the Cats to get back in the game.
“I thought we did a good job against some of their stronger players, but the game came down to corner execution,” McCollum said. “Unfortunately for us, they executed well on their scoring opportunities.”
Both first half goals for the Buckeyes were balls in front of the net that got past goalkeeper Emily Kyle.
“Against (Ohio State) the score didn’t show it,” forward Jill Putnam said. “We came out looking good and fought the whole game and they just had some goals out there that fell through.”
Putnam added a goal on a pass from forward Alex Quinn for her fifth goal of the season against Kent State.
While Putnam got back in her scoring drive after going goalless in two games, other players tried to use this weekend to increase their quality of play.
“I thought I took major steps in my game,” back Christina Foley said. “I’ve been inconsistent in recent games … Kelly really challenged me to perform in all areas of my game. I really focused this weekend on doing that.”
Foley’s toughness and passing helped the team put the past behind it and play hard against Kent State.
The Cats held Kent State without a shot in the first half, giving up only four corners in the game, but were hurt by a fastbreak goal early in the second half.
“Against Ohio State we played great hockey and it just didn’t go our way,” Foley said, “but (against Kent State) we didn’t play as well as we should have and the opposite happened.”
Reach Brian Regan at [email protected].
