Stepping up to a challenge has been a recurring theme this season for Northwestern.
With each obstacle they overcome, the Wildcats inch closer and closer to finishing their best season under third-year coach Stephanie Erickson.
The Big Ten coaches predicted NU (10-8-1, 5-5-0 Big Ten) would finish 10th in the conference this year, despite making the tournament in Erickson’s previous two seasons.
The team defied those odds and made its third straight tournament under Erickson, earning its highest regular season finish since 2004.
The Cats started Big Ten play losing three of their first four games. They responded with four wins in their next six games to finish tied for fifth place, earning them the seventh seed in the tournament on tiebreakers.
NU needed a win or tie in its last game of the season to assure a spot in the Big Ten tournament. Erickson knew her team understood the magnitude of the game.
But with the pressure mounting, Erickson was worried if the Cats would be able to overcome one more barrier and play that final game with confidence.
“I expected a sense of urgency,” Erickson said. “What we weren’t quite sure about is what type of confidence we were going to bring. We don’t have the wins under our belt to bring the same confidence. So that was the question mark – are we going to go after it, or sit and wait?”
NU stepped up and won 1-0 against Wisconsin last Friday. Understandably, Erickson wasn’t the only member of the team excited that the season was not over.
“I was extremely happy, extending my season,” senior Amanda Hoffman said. “We could have been done. I was happy we could play another game and that we finished tied for fifth. That’s the highest we’ve been placed, so it’s a pretty good feeling knowing that we achieved more.”
The Cats hope to carry that newfound confidence into the tournament when they face No. 21 Minnesota (18-2-0, 8-2-0) today at Iowa City, Iowa.
NU will have to do something most teams have had trouble doing all season to beat the second-seeded Gophers: score goals.
Minnesota goalkeeper Lindsey Dare has allowed only seven goals this season, earning 15 shutouts and making 46 saves. The Gophers beat the Cats 2-0 on Oct. 26, with NU getting only three shots on goal.
Erickson is preparing her team for the game with a much more optimistic outlook than she had going into the Wisconsin game. Erickson said she feels confident her team will be at its best against one of the conference’s top teams.
“I said after that game (against Minnesota), if we see them again, we will do much better,” Erickson said. “They are a great team and they’ve had a great year. We have a ton of respect for them, and their style of play is very hard to play against. But having played them once, and studying them, I think we’ll be much more prepared.”
Despite the difficulty the Cats had against the Gophers about a week ago, they have taken to heart what Erickson has said. They exude the confidence that Erickson once questioned they had.
If they don’t, this time their season is over.
“It’s now a do or die game,” Hoffman said. “I think we’re ready to get a little revenge on them.”
