Midway through the first half of Northwestern’s match against Saint Louis, Wildcats senior defender Lauren Janowitsch had an open shot from the top right corner of the box. She placed it almost perfectly by the top right edge of the net, but a diving effort by Saint Louis goalkeeper Hannah Perry kept NU at bay.
What seemed like just another shot attempt gone awry was actually one of many scoring chances the Cats squandered in the match. NU had multiple corner kicks and opportunities around the box that it did not convert as it tied Saint Louis 0-0 at Lakeside Field on Sunday.
The Wildcats (5-2-1) had 11 shots, three on goal, and 10 corner kicks in the first half alone. The missed scoring chances came back to haunt NU.
“We had 13 corners (in the game) and according to our stats, four out of those 13 we considered successful,” coach Stephanie Erickson said. “Four of 13 is not a standard we’re looking for. Our standards are higher than that. We are very good at corners, we work on it all the time, and that was a missed opportunity.”
After an aggressive offensive first half, the Cats came out in the second half and struggled against the Billikens’ defensive scheme. NU was held to only four shots in the second half and did not have another corner opportunity until overtime.
“I thought Saint Louis was a great defensive team,” Erickson said. “They were hard to break down, and they threw numbers behind the ball and when teams do that we need to be near perfect with the attack.”
The offensive struggles carried over into overtime, as the Billikens (3-1-3) took control with two shots on goal. The Cats could only muster one shot in the two overtime periods.
NU’s defense picked up the slack and delivered its third shutout of the year. Sophomore goalkeeper and first-year starter Carolyn Edwards had three saves to preserve the tie.
The Cats had allowed eight goals in their previous four games, so Erickson was impressed with her team’s defensive effort.
“I thought defensively this was our best game,” Erickson said. “They stuck together as a unit. We defended better as a team, and I think that’s a testament to our shutout.”
The Billikens managed only four shots in the game, two in overtime. NU dominated possession throughout the match and gave Saint Louis few chances to score in regulation.
But the last-minute effort by the Billikens did not catch Edwards by surprise.
“It’s hard,” said Edwards. “You have to stay focused and be tuned in to the game the whole time, and that tends to be harder in a game like this. They stepped it up in overtime, but I was ready for it.”
Getting both their offense and defense in sync is easier said than done, but it is something the Cats know they need to figure out how to do to prevent from wasting a good defensive performance.
“I think we need to work on closing out on teams like this where we know we’re a better team,” senior midfielder Amanda Hoffman said. “It was a game that we know we should win.”
