Northwestern was able to overcome a two-goal deficit before. But this time, the good did not outweigh the bad.
Despite a valiant effort in the second half, NU (5-3-1) was unable to pull off a win after trailing by two at halftime, falling 2-1 to Wisconsin-Milwaukee (8-1-2). It was the Wildcats’ first loss since a Sept. 5 defeat to San Diego.
“The way we started the game just isn’t going to cut it playing a team that’s got that kind of confidence when they play at home,” coach Stephanie Erickson said. “We just started on our heels, and we weren’t playing the way we can.”
NU struggled at creating scoring opportunities in the first half. The Panthers outshot the Cats, 12-3, and dominated the field, posting eight of those shots on goal. NU managed only one shot.
Makenzie Gillaspie scored in the 20th minute to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead after the Panthers took four quick shots to start off the game. Freshman Sarah Hagen scored her 11th goal of the season in the 44th minute to take a commanding 2-0 lead before entering halftime.
Sophomore goalkeeper Carolyn Edwards, who came into the game after posting her second shutout of the season against Saint Louis on Sunday, made a season-high six saves in the first half. But she could not stop the Panthers from taking the first-half lead.
“Milwaukee can score goals,” Erickson said. “They have a couple dangerous players and they take advantage of opportunities and we gave them too many in the first half. If you give them a couple of looks, they take advantage of them.”
NU overcame a two-goal deficit in a 3-2 home victory against DePaul on Sept. 14. The Cats had handled these situations before.
NU came out strong after a rough first half. The Cats outshot the Panthers 7-2 in the second half, getting three shots on goal.
“We played really well the second half,” Erickson said. “We had the ball most of the second half, and we moved it around very nicely. We put those two of those halves together and it would’ve been a different game.”
But NU started its comeback run too late.
Junior forward Alicia Herczeg took advantage of senior midfielder Jeanette Lorme’s deflected shot on goal to put the Cats on the board with under three minutes to play.
Herczeg said that the team’s main focus will be playing a complete game. And her teammate agreed.
“We came together as a team, but it happened too late,” Edwards said. “Usually in the games that we have come back, we were pushing right away, and that’s something we need to jump on earlier in the game.”
