Nearly four months removed from a season-ending loss to Maryland in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, Northwestern returned to the pitch for a Saturday afternoon curtain-raiser against Notre Dame.

While matches don’t play out on paper, the Wildcats couldn’t flip the script against their favored ACC foe, falling 3-1 to the Fighting Irish in Ryan Fieldhouse.

NU kicked off the contest with a team-pressing mentality, led from the front by junior forward Justin Weiss and freshman forward Christopher Thaggard. The Cats looked to pounce on any Notre Dame errors in buildup out of the back, and freshman midfielder Jayvin Van Deventer provided an early scare for the Fighting Irish, beating his mark down the line and whipping a ball across the top of the 18-yard box.

Six minutes into the matchup, Notre Dame midfielder KK Baffour lofted a dangerous feed in from the right flank across the six-yard box, but the Fighting Irish failed to capitalize.

Baffour’s quality in possession continued to trouble the NU back line as the match progressed. In the 10th minute, Baffour received the ball on the touchline and cut inside onto his left foot, striking a shot that deflected to Notre Dame forward Daniel Russo. Russo made no mistake on the finish, sending a powerful effort into the bottom left corner and handing the Fighting Irish a 1-0 lead.

Moments later, Notre Dame nearly added another score to the mix, but Baffour struck a curler just over the bar.

Weiss, Thaggard and freshman defender Nigel Prince all had chances inside of the box to equalize — but NU failed to find the back of the net, and the first 30-minute period closed at 1-0.

Fresh off a short break, the Fighting Irish came out firing. Baffour collected the ball along the right sideline and sprayed it inside before it found its way to Notre Dame midfielder Sebastian Green on the left edge of the box. Green threaded the needle on a low-driven ball that forward Eno Nto calmly slotted home to double the Fighting Irish lead 32 minutes in.

The Fighting Irish continued to press for a third, forcing the Cats’ backline onto its heels. Just five minutes after his tally, Nto received the ball with his back to goal, then turned to fend off three NU defenders. He continued his run and delivered the ball on a silver platter for forward Matthew Roou, who buried a shot beyond senior goalkeeper Kevin Klausz, extending the Notre Dame advantage to 3-0.

While Baffour and Nto both pressed for a brace, Prince and the Cats stood tall in defense, thwarting several threatening Fighting Irish chances before the second period came to a halt.

Notre Dame coach Chad Riley sent an 11 featuring a flurry of new faces out for the final frame, and the contest turned chippy with yellow cards issued to both sides.

Seven minutes into the third period, Fighting Irish forward Alex Salvino looked in on goal, but Klausz closed off his angle and made the save look simple. A minute later, sophomore defender Ibrahim Obeid whipped in a cross that Notre Dame’s defense failed to corral. The Fighting Irish conceded an own goal off an errant clearance, and NU trailed 3-1 with 22 minutes left to play.

Both squads battled it out to the final whistle, but nobody found a finishing touch as the match shifted to more of a brawl in the trenches. Notre Dame held on to win 3-1 in a contest ultimately decided in its first two-thirds.

Coach Russell Payne’s team now takes a considerable break from game action, as the Cats will host the University of Illinois-Chicago in a Chicago Cup tie April 1. For a squad that started four freshmen in the first 11, these spring showings supply much-needed game experience prior to the fall season.

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