By Brian ReganThe Daily Northwestern
Watching the second round games of the Big Ten tournament, Northwestern’s players were frustrated.
Iowa, the five seed, one above the Wildcats, won the tournament and get the automatic NCAA tournament bid in what several players called the most wide open Big Ten in years.
“I was happy for them,” coach Kelly McCollum said. “It shows the amount of parity in the Big Ten. In the Big Ten right now it is anybody’s game. It’s promising for us.”
But the Cats watched from the stands after their first round exit came in a 2-0 loss to Penn State Friday.
The offense failed to score a goal in a season where they scored more than one goal in a Big Ten game only twice.
“It was really frustrating,” forward Alex Quinn said. “We knew we had such potential and we were sad because our season was over, but for the returning players it keeps us motivated to keep working for next year.”
Penn State outgunned NU for most of the game, as its offense kept the ball in NU territory for most of the match and its defense squelched any offensive attacks.
NU managed only five shots during the game compared to Penn State’s 12, forcing only two penalty corners to the Nittany Lions’ six.
“We played with a lot of intensity,” Quinn said, “but we didn’t have enough opportunities to capitalize on.”
The game began as a goalie’s dual, with neither team scoring in the first half, mostly due to the Cats’ solid defense.
“We knew we had to work on a lot this year,” back Christina Foley said. “To see how poised and controlled we were for most of the game, it was good to know that we became a better defensive unit.”
The scoreless tie was broken by a redirection from Penn State’s Kiersten Wood past NU goalie Emily Kyle.
Penn State put the game out of reach with another goal less than three minutes later. But the Cats didn’t stop until the final whistle blew.
“I think it has shown how much hard work we have done throughout the season,” Foley said. “We battled, but it is a shame we took steps forward only to have this be the end of the season.”
Reach Brian Regan at [email protected].
