By Philip Rossman-Reich
The Daily Northwestern
Junior midfielder Tyler Voigt gave tribute to an injured comrade after scoring No. 7 Northwestern’s lone goal against Penn State on Saturday. He made a two and a zero with his hands as he celebrated, the number of injured midfielder Carl Pett.
“Carl’s not a guy that is necessarily replaceable,” Voigt said. “It’s not necessarily better or worse. It’s just different. Anytime you lose one of your leaders in the middle, it changes the way you play. I think we did a good job coping with that (Saturday).”
The Wildcats (7-1-1, 1-1-0 Big Ten) suffered their first loss of the season but look to rebound in their second game without Pett. NU plays Wisconsin (5-3-2, 0-1-1) on Saturday at Lakeside Field.
Pett tore the lateral meniscus in his knee Sept. 26 against Loyola and underwent knee surgery. He is expected to miss 3-4 weeks, meaning he might return just before the end of the year.
But the Cats lost a lot more than just one player. They lost a player who is usually all over the field, making big tackles and offensive plays in the midfield. He is tied for the team lead in goals, with four.
“Throughout the season, you’re going to have injuries,” senior midfielder David Roth said. “That’s just part of the game. We’re deep enough this year that guys can step in, and we’re experienced enough to know that’s going to happen. Guys are ready to fill the void when that happens.”
Replacing him will be no easy task.
Junior defender Geoff Fallon filled in for Pett on Saturday. Sophomore forward Chris Kammo and freshman defender Drew Pavlovich also saw time on the field in Pett’s place. Both players came close to scoring goals late in the first half Saturday.
NU players said whoever is replacing Pett needs to play his own game to be successful.
“Don’t try to be Carl because you’re not Carl,” Roth said. “Just play your strengths and play as simple as possible. Do what you can for the team: keeping the ball for us, working hard (and) just the intangibles that you can bring. You might not be able to do everything Carl can do, but do what you do best and you’ll be able to compete.”
Last year, NU lost senior defenders Daniel Chille and Will Nicholas to injuries. Sophomore Mark Blades and junior Brian Usinger replaced them and helped the Cats reach the NCAA tournament.
Coach Tim Lenahan said the team has some talented players on its bench who should be able to fill the void until Pett returns.
But players admit it will be different without Pett on the field. Blades said the team lost some of its “offensive flair” with Pett out of the lineup Saturday.
“It takes a little tweaking (replacing Pett),” Blades said. “There’s not anyone like him on our team. Either someone has to step up and do his job or we have to tweak and find the best way to play without him.”
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