It was the first minute of No. 9 Northwestern’s game against DePaul on Oct. 10. Junior defender Drew Ratner jumped to challenge a header in the middle of the field and collided in mid-air with the opposing player.
Ratner got up and played for 10 more minutes before leaving the game with a concussion.
It was the second injury to a Wildcats’ starter this season.
Injuries are a part of every sport and NU (9-2-1, 2-2-0 Big Ten) is continuing to cope with them as the team travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., to play Michigan (9-4-1, 0-2-1) on Saturday.
“It’s tough when a lot of injuries happen, but we know it’s going to happen every year,” senior midfielder David Roth said. “A lot of guys get injured. We’re mentally tough enough to know that it’s going to happen and guys were able to step up pretty well in the DePaul and Indiana games (last week).”
The latest injury came in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to No. 16 Indiana. Sophomore goalkeeper Misha Rosenthal left the game with a right knee injury and will miss two weeks.
Junior goalkeeper Will Briley will replace him in Saturday’s game. Briley started 16 games last season, had a 1.02 goals-against average and recorded five shoutouts.
But the Cats are preparing to welcome back other starters who have missed time recently.
Sophomore midfielder Carl Pett tore the lateral meniscus in his knee against Loyola on Sept. 26. He missed four games.
Pett started practicing with full contact this week and should be ready to play against Michigan.
Ratner, recovering from a concussion, returned to practice this week and could also be available.
“I think, because of our success without them, as they’re coming back, the whole team is a lot more ready to play, a lot more excited as far as that,” freshman forward Piero Bellizzi said. “I think we’ll be even better. And as a team, you feel a lot more connected and excited to play and more confident with two of our starters getting ready to go again.”
Sophomore defender Mark Blades filled in for Pett and junior defender Brian Usinger moved to the middle of the defense to replace Ratner. Freshman midfielder Jack Hillgard started in Usinger’s spot on Sunday.
Blades scored one goal in Pett’s absence and replaced some of the energy Pett gives to the position. Hillgard assisted on senior defender Matt Witt’s buzzer-beating goal against DePaul.
The Cats went 2-2-0 since Pett’s injury and 1-2-0 in the Big Ten.
This was not the first season the Cats have had to recover from multiple injuries to major players.
Last year senior defenders Daniel Chille and Will Nicholas missed time with injuries. The team replaced the seniors and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.
But what changed for NU this year is the level of play from the bench players and a more balanced offensive attack.
Roth and forward Brad North scored 17 of the team’s 33 goals last season. This season five players have scored three goals or more. Only three players achieved that feat last year.
The Cats have experienced and quality players such as Briley, Hilgard and sophomore forward Eamon O’Neill, who have stepped in when their number has been called.
“Two years ago, we were built around one particular player,” Lenahan said. “When that player got hurt, we’re not built around anybody. Now it’s a collective team effort. We felt sorry for ourselves two years ago. We’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves now.”
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