Men’s Soccer

Gone in 60 seconds.

No, not the movie starring Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie. Rather, the time it took Northwestern to turn its second half lead against Indiana into a deficit.

The Wildcats (1-6-2, 0-3 Big Ten) traveled to Bloomington, Indiana hoping to nab at least a point from the Hoosiers (4-2-2, 1-1-1) Tuesday night. However, coach Russell Payne’s squad has struggled to remain composed for a full 90 minutes this season, and several momentary lapses had devastating consequences.

For much of the first half, NU weathered Indiana’s consistent flurry of attacks. The Hoosiers, fresh off a weekend draw to Michigan State, dominated possession and threatened the Cats’ backline with nine shots in the opening frame. 

NU graduate student goalkeeper Christian Garner was active early, making five saves, including multiple impressive efforts to parry headers away from the goal. His efforts kept the match scoreless heading into the intermission. 

Out of halftime, junior forward Justin Weiss wasted little time getting the Cats on the scoreboard.

After stealing possession and combining with freshman midfielder Jason Gajadhar for a quick 1-2 pass, Weiss placed his curling shot from distance into the top right corner of the net. Just two minutes into the second half, NU held a one goal advantage. 

That lead was erased just seconds later. Hoosier Quinten Helmer’s equalizing goal in the 49th minute sparked a nightmarish 153-second sequence for the visitors. In less than a minute, Indiana found the back of the net once more, courtesy of a tidy Herbert Endeley finish in the box. Karsen Henderlong’s goal in the 52nd minute all but put the Cats to bed.

The Hoosiers scored three goals in less time than it takes to make macaroni and cheese in the microwave. Ryan Wittenbrink’s goal in the 77th minute capped off a 4-1 victory for Indiana and extended the team’s home winning streak to 14 games.

For all the success Garner and the NU backline had in warding off Indiana’s first half forays, the two and a half minute rampage from the Hoosiers was too much to handle and Payne’s side never recovered.

The Cats, looking to end a three-match losing skid, will be back in action against No. 20 Penn State Sunday.

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