With three Illinois shots in the first seven minutes of Friday’s match, the Wildcats (6-5-3, 1-2-1 Big Ten) defense looked to be in for a difficult night.
But Northwestern’s defensive line, led by senior goalkeeper Lauren Johnston, withstood the pressure to hold the Illini (7-4-1, 2-2-1 Big Ten) to a 0-0 draw after double overtime.
“It was a fair result and it’s great to get a point on the road,” coach Stephanie Erickson said. “The first half was a little unsettling for us, but we had momentum in the second half and took control of the game.”
Illinois had a 20-9 advantage in shots over NU. Nevertheless, the Cats inexperienced back-line held on for a point.
Johnston’s performance was part of a new solidity at the back of the field for the Cats, who boast a defense with one player from every class.
The goalkeeper led from her goal line, racking up six saves in the process.
“I always love getting a shut-out,” Johnston said. “But it’s important to give credit to the entire team and especially the defense. We have a really active back line and everyone’s covering for each other on the field.”
The Cats got off to a slow start offensively with only two shots in the first half as compared to the eight fired by Illinois. The next half saw the Cats gain increased possession and rack up eight shots as a result.
The second period of overtime was the closest the Cats came to scoring with their only shot on goal of the game. The attempt came courtesy of junior Jenny Dunn, who took the lone shot in the 106th minute.
“There are definitely more positives than negatives to take from the game,” Erickson said. “We did really well against a great, dynamic offense and in the end, we hit the post and came close to a breakaway and nearly won it.”
This weekend was the first time the Cats did not score in a match since their 5-0 loss to Purdue two weeks ago.
Erickson said she was not worried about NU’s scoring ability, especially since they were creating chances.
For the NU defense, this weekend’s performance was a far cry from the opening weekend of the Big Ten season when the Cats conceded nine goals in just two matches.
Sophomore defender Ali Rubnitz credited goalkeeper Johnston with the improvement.
“It’s great to have a keeper at the back with so much leadership and who is so dependable,” Rubnitz said. “At the same time, we’re being more active at the back, have more width and have a lot more depth-wise as well now.”
Next weekend, the Cats travel to take on Michigan and Michigan State. Both teams have yet to win a game in the Big Ten.
“It’s the last road trip of the season and both teams are going to be gunning for us since they haven’t got wins in the Big Ten yet,” she said. “Our focus is to take care of business in the Big Ten this season and do the best we can in the tournament.”
Reach Pritish Behuria at [email protected].
