If not for a few fatal defensive mistakes, Northwestern might have survived Sunday’s matchup against No. 15 Michigan State.
Instead, a bobbled corner kick and a turnover in the back third handed the Wildcats a 2-0 road loss to the Spartans in the first conference matchup of the season.
“We can’t keep giving up these ticky-tacky goals,” junior midfielder Peter O’Neill said.. “We’ve got the personnel back there, but we’ve just got to pull it together now.”
NU (3-4, 0-1 Big Ten) found itself in a similar position against Holy Cross just a week ago, when a sloppy first half own goal gave the Crusaders a 1-0 win.
The Cats had trouble clearing the penalty area once again when junior goalkeeper Drew Kotler misjudged a well-driven corner kick from senior midfielder Spencer Thompson. The in-swinging ball was heading toward the near post when he tried to punch the ball away from danger. Rather, he accidentally slotted the ball into the near post.
This goal in the 23rd minute once more put NU down early, and this time it faced an even more daunting comeback.
“We made two very big errors on both of our goals,” coach Tim Lenahan said. “You can’t make those mistakes and then expect to win.”
The Spartans (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) boasted nine returning starters and a five-game winning streak heading into the game. Two of those wins came against No. 5 Maryland and No. 11 Duke. The Cats featured a less seasoned starting lineup that included four freshmen and junior goalkeeper Drew Kotler, who is seeing serious play time for the first time in his career.
This inexperience showed on the field as NU came out shy. The Cats showed the Spartans plenty of deference in the midfield.
“Some of our guys were definitely intimidated going into the game,” senior forward Matt Eliason said. “That’s something we need to work on in general, just being more confident from the start.”
The Cats responded well in the second half, attacking with more assertiveness and, thanks to the one-goal deficit, urgency. Michigan State anticipated the attack well, double-teaming Eliason and junior Oliver Kupe up top. Sophomore midfielder Kyle Schickel helped to exploit that coverage by firing off two shots on goal of his own.
But Kupe’s prediction earlier in the week - that NU would not get a surplus of goal-scoring opportunities against the Spartans - proved right. The Cats managed just four shots on goal.
Kupe himself mustered just one shot, despite providing an offensive spark with his speed and power.
“We chased the game a little bit,” Lenahan said. “We need to execute better. It’s not so much a question of work ethic as it is making better decisions in the final third. “
But the increased offensive pressure would prove to be NU’s downfall. The push for a goal left NU vulnerable in the back, and a Michigan State counter from senior midfielder Jeff Ricondo capitalized on that in the 66th minute, beating sophomore keeper Jonathan Harris, who replaced Kotler in the second half.
“Obviously it’s a very frustrating loss,” Eliason said. “We have to go into survival mode now because our record is not where it needs to be.”
The Cats’ next matchup is Wednesday evening against regional rival Notre Dame. The game is technically a home match for the Fighting Irish but will be played in the Chicago suburbs at Toyota Park, home of the MLS Chicago Fire.
