Once is chance. Twice is coincidence. Third time is a pattern.
For the third consecutive weekend, No. 20 Northwestern engaged in a back-and-forth battle with a Big Ten opponent, only to fall a goal short.
The Wildcats jumped out quickly against No. 13 Ohio State, but were unable to hold their lead for long. Behind a pair of first-half goals, the Buckeyes beat the Cats 2-1 Saturday at Lakeside Field.
“We played a fabulous game,” coach Tracey Fuchs said. “We’re playing really, really good hockey, and we’re just one or two degrees, a few details off of being really great. There’s a big difference between being good and great.”
For the first 10 minutes of the game, it looked as though the emotion from the Cats’ pre-game Senior Day celebration would carry them to victory.
NU dominated the ball at the start, with several opportunities near the net, which ultimately culminated in Chelsea Armstrong’s 22nd goal of the season.
The next 10 minutes belonged to the Buckeyes, though.
Four minutes after Armstrong’s goal, Ohio State knotted the score. The Buckeyes took the lead for good seven minutes later, when Ohio State forward Maria Briones gained possession of a deflection in front of the net, then juggled the ball on her stick before flipping it into the goal.
The second half was an even battle. Both teams had chances to score, but neither could put the ball in the cage.
“It was anyone’s game,” senior forward Elizabeth Dobbs said. “We had some shots. They had some shots. We had spectacular defense that second half. Our offense was going the whole time. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way.”
NU had multiple scoring chances, but was unable to capitalize on any of them. The Cats had four shots on goal in the second half.
The team also created chances on plays where an NU player cuts backdoor and looks to tip in a pass from across the circle. But the team had trouble connecting on these passes.
“We’re hustling out there, but I guess timing is just a little off,” Dobbs said. “A lot of it is luck and timing. We’ll get that down. It won’t take much. We’ve just got to get two percent better on it.”
NU failed to score on any of its seven penalty corners. The team was also unable to finish any of its 12 attempts in its loss to Iowa last weekend.
On two of the corners, NU’s stick-stopper had the ball ricochet up off her stick and into her chest, a penalty that gave possession back to Ohio State.
“There were miscues today, ” Fuchs said. “We had two that were bobbled and one that somebody missed a sign. That’s the difference at this level. It’s those little details. Everybody’s got to know what we’re doing on the attack corners to be successful.”
The Cats pulled their goalie with eight minutes left in the game, but could not get the tying goal.
NU opens the Big Ten Championships against Indiana on Thursday. The Hoosiers beat the Cats 2-1 to start NU’s three-game skid.
“We’re always so close,” said Armstrong, who injured her hand when it was struck by an opponent’s stick. “It’s just the final finish that we’re having troubles with. It’s the accumulation of lots of little things. Once we get into the Big Tens, it’s a different atmosphere. It’s a new game almost, so hopefully everyone will step up.” [email protected]
