Northwestern knew coming into this season that in order to avoid a repeat of last year’s disappointing 4-14 record, the defense had to improve significantly.
The Wildcats gave up four goals or more eight times last fall, and the team failed to win any of those games. To put themselves in a better position to win, the players would have to get better at keeping the opponent off the scoreboard.
“We knew that we had to be more competitive this year by making sure that we were denying more opportunities and that we were letting fewer goals in than what we were averaging last year,” coach Kelly McCollum said.
Because the team lost most of its defensive starters to graduation, this season’s unit is fairly inexperienced – sophomores Sarah Marcincin and Zoe Almquist, junior Stacy Uchida and freshman Kaylee Pohlmeyer receive most of the playing time.
But the young players have caught on quickly, and the early returns have been promising: Last fall NU gave up 3.39 goals per game. The team has allowed only 2.77 so far this year.
Take out the game against top-ranked Maryland, and that goals-against stat falls to 2.17.
“We’re happy to see the numbers decrease, because we’ve always said you can’t win games if you’re giving up too many,” McCollum said.
Though she said there was a strong defensive system already in place and she was trying to get the players adjusted to that system, McCollum said the full-field press formations were overhauled in the offseason.
The team also has focused on techniques for clearing the ball out of its own defensive third.
“We’ve been working on our hits and sweeps to make our ways to get the ball out of the backfield more versatile,” Marcincin said.
The sophomore defender said the players have spent more time in the weight room than in the past, lifting and trying to get stronger to prepare for the physical style of play in the Big Ten.
The defense already is proving to be the best one the Cats have fielded in recent memory.
NU (6-7) notched back-to-back shutouts earlier this year for the first time since 2003. The team’s three shutouts so far are the most in one season since McCollum became the coach five years ago.
Despite everything they have accomplished already, the Cats are not resting on their laurels.
“We’re satisfied, but at the same time we have to always stride for more,” senior goalie Emily Kyle said. “We can never just be content.”
Kyle has made as much progress as anyone on the team, becoming one of the conference’s best goaltenders. She had 18 saves and allowed five goals in NU’s first two Big Ten games this season.
Though she has always had great talent, Kyle is starting to play at a high level more often.
“One huge piece of our defensive success thus far this season is Emily Kyle,” McCollum said. “I think last year we saw her best level at times, but this year we’re seeing it on a more consistent basis.”
In last Friday’s game at Iowa, everything started to come together for the Cats. McCollum said the team saw success in what it was trying to do defensively – against a top-five team, no less. On all but a couple of plays, the defense was able to take away high-percentage shots and force the Hawkeyes to shoot from worse angles.
McCollum is encouraged by how this defensive unit is more “composed and controlled” than last year’s. Sticking to the game plan and not getting rattled will be important for NU when it tries to pull off the upset against No. 6 Michigan State on Friday.
Brimming with confidence from the close call against Iowa, the Cats believe they have a good chance to break through and end their prolonged conference losing streak.
“I think if we can hold Iowa to two goals, we can hold Michigan State to zero,” Pohlmeyer said.
