Despite being the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten for most of the season, the Wildcats took an early exit in the conference tournament for the second straight year.
No. 16 Northwestern lost to Michigan State 1-0 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament at Indiana for the second straight season, giving the Cats some extra time to reflect before discovering their NCAA tournament fate when the brackets are released Monday.
“We need to work on stringing together 90 minutes of unselfish urgency,” coach Tim Lenahan said. “We’re in a one-and-done situation from here on out, and you’re not going to shut out every team.”
NU (10-4-4) had just beaten Michigan State (11-6-2) 1-0 at Lakeside Field on Saturday. After the Cats jumped out to a lead by scoring in the first five minutes of the game, the Spartans were arguably the better team, controlling the ball for long stretches of the second half. That carried over into the beginning of Thursday’s game.
“The first half was a little bit flat,” Lenahan said. “‘Both teams were feeling each other out.”
The first half was scoreless thanks to three saves by Misha Rosenthal. But things took a turn for the worse at the beginning of the second half. On a counterattack, Spartans junior goalie Avery Steinlage punted the ball forward, and sophomore Stephen Lucianek played it forward to senior defender Tim Granaderos, who had only scored one goal in his entire career. From a slim angle, he beat Rosenthal for the match’s only goal.
“They scored a great goal, which happens in soccer,” Lenahan said. “A guy who really hasn’t scored that much had the goal of his life.”
NU tried hard to get back in the game, but couldn’t get an equalizer. Seniors Eamon O’Neill and Kevin Valenta put shots on net, but Steinlage, who sat out Saturday’s season finale, recorded saves on both opportunities.
With the regular season and conference tournament over, NU can only wait and see who they have to play in the tournament. The Wildcats didn’t qualify via automatic bid, but with a No. 16 national ranking and the third-best RPI in the nation, the Cats aren’t worried.
“We let one get away from us,” Lenahan said. “But this would be one of the most successful seasons today, but we’ve still got some games to play.”
