Women’s Soccer

When the final whistle blew in Northwestern’s dramatic double overtime victory over Wisconsin on Wednesday, ensuring the Wildcats would finish fourth in the Big Ten, NU fans had the right to be thrilled with the accomplishment — and the right to be a little nervous for the tournament game to come.

Sliding up to the fourth seed ensured that the Cats (13-4-2, 7-3-1 Big Ten) would be on a collision course with fifth-seeded Michigan (11-6-2, 6-3-2), a team that thoroughly dominated NU in an Oct. 8 game that was much more lopsided than the 1-0 scoreline in favor of the Wolverines. The teams will play Sunday at New Trier High School in Northfield, Illinois.

“They were a very aggressive and difficult opponent for us,” coach Michael Moynihan said. “We had a lot of trouble playing them.”

Michigan’s athleticism and energy had the Cats on their heels all game. Their relentless high pressure forced countless NU turnovers in the midfield and the Wolverines found gaping holes in NU’s back line in a way few teams have this season.

The Cats’ hapless showing on that evening, so out of character in what has been a banner season for the team, could be a sign that NU just can’t match up with the Wolverines’ power and pace. But Wednesday’s win over Wisconsin, the Cats’ fourth win in their last five games, showed how much has changed since that night in Ann Arbor.

For one, NU’s defense, its bread and butter this season, has stabilized since the Michigan game, yielding two goals in its last five games. The back line’s return to form has coincided with a few tactical tweaks: Moynihan experimented with a back three in a dominant Oct. 18 showing against Iowa and pushed sophomore and natural outside back Kassidy Gorman into the midfield against Wisconsin to get another capable defender on the field.

Meanwhile, sophomore forward Michelle Manning’s return from injury will boost the offense. Manning, who missed the previous matchup with Michigan and made the All-Big Ten Tournament team last season, displayed on-ball composure and was an able outlet for her defense against Wisconsin, skills that could come in handy to break the Wolverines’ press.

And in a game that should be close, NU’s good form to end the regular season pays immediate dividends by giving the Cats home field advantage in this tournament matchup — a boost against a Michigan team that is 1-5-2 on the road this season.

The key to the game will be the Cats’ performance in the midfield, where NU will lean on senior captains Niki Sebo and Nandi Mehta to be accurate with their distribution. If they can avoid turnovers deep in the Cats’ half and link up with junior forward Addie Steiner, NU’s leader in goals and a scorer in three consecutive games, it will go a long way toward a victory.

But control of the midfield might be a tall task, if the first matchup was any indication. Gorman, who scored the golden goal that won the game against Wisconsin, has no doubt the Cats will need their best to beat Michigan.

“It’s super great … that we got fourth now,” she said, “but we need to come out Sunday and be super prepared and motivated and just focus on this game.”

Moynihan said the regular season meeting with the Wolverines proves nothing will be easy for NU in this battle for a Big Ten semifinal berth.

“We’re in for a challenge,” Moynihan said. “Hopefully we learned from the first time we played them and can put in a bit better effort.”

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