After No. 20 Northwestern dropped its fourth straight conference game, a frustrating 3-1 loss Friday against No. 17 Ohio State, the Wildcats needed a victory to close out the season.
In her final home game Sunday, senior forward Regan Mooney responded to the task at hand, scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Louisville.
“It wasn’t just the goal,” Mooney said with emotion. “The entire team stepped up and this was a huge confidence boost heading into the Big Ten Tournament.”
The weekend began with a lackluster performance from the Cats. Despite sitting near the bottom of the Big Ten standings, NU (12-8, 1-5 Big Ten) had been competitive in each of its previous conference losses. It came as a surprise then that Ohio State (11-7, 4-2) dominated every facet of the game. The Buckeyes connected for two early goals and exhibited their trademark stingy defense en route to a convincing win.
Ohio State controlled possession from the outset, and after they were denied twice by freshman goalkeeper Maddy Carpenter, the Buckeyes finally broke through when midfielder Arielle Cowie scored off of a deflection.
“Ohio State had a lot of pressure on our backfield,” assistant coach Ali Johnstone said. “They took quick-fire hits and we needed to release the ball sooner.”
Johnstone replaced coach Tracey Fuchs on Friday. Fuchs was abroad coaching the U.S. Pan American Games team, which earned an Olympic berth the same day by upsetting Argentina. Fuchs was kept aware of the game through text messages from senior midfielder Kaylee Pohlmeyer during the Cats’ losing effort.
The Buckeyes continued to build a lead, as junior back Laura Napolitano converted on a corner play. Sophomore forward Nikki Parsley provided the lone bright spot for NU, knocking home a rebound just before halftime to cut the deficit to 2-1.
“When Nikki’s energy is up, the team follows suit and feeds off of her,” Johnstone said.
This could have led to a momentum swing in favor of the struggling Cats. Instead, fewer than two minutes after the intermission, Ohio Statejunior forward Danica Deckard drove to the cage unimpeded and beat Carpenter to give Ohio State a 3-1 advantage. From then on, the Buckeyes tightened their defensive play to ensure a commanding victory.
NU tried to maintain a positive attitude after the game, knowing how important a Senior Day victory on Sunday would be leading up to the single-elimination Big Ten Tournament this week.
“We’ve had pockets of greatness,” sophomore back Julia Retzky said. “Luck will eventually turn our way.”
The Cats immediately shored up their defensive play against Louisville (10-8, 3-3 Big East), allowing only one shot in the first half. While much of the early action was neutral, sharp passing from NU translated into Mooney’s goal.
“Regan has stepped it up,” Fuchs said. “Last year, she was a contributor. This year, she’s one of our leaders.”
Louisville had two penalty corner chances in the second half, but failed to beat Carpenter, who finished a sharp regular season between the posts with her third shutout.
NU’s senior class will leave the season having revitalized the program, but the team also knows that there is more work to be done before the season is through.
NU travels to University Park, Pa., where it will face the tournament’s host team, No. 8 Penn State (13-5, 4-2), on Thursday for an opportunity to advance to the semifinals. The team’s matchup earlier this season was hotly contested, but Penn State was able to withstand two goals from junior midfielder Chelsea Armstrong to earn a 4-3 overtime victory.
It has been an impressive season for NU regardless of Thursday’s outcome. But the Cats know that the Big Ten Championship, which Fuchs has coveted since arriving in Evanston three years ago, is within reach.
“We have some momentum,” Carpenter said, “and anyone can win.”
