Northwestern women’s soccer senior forward Josie Aullicino dominated visiting Oakland defense in the second half of a non-conference game Thursday, recording a hat trick and two assists to help the Wildcats rout the Golden Grizzlies 7-0.
The win marked the 300th career victory for NU coach Michael Moynihan, who took over the program in 2011 and is the winningest coach in Northwestern women’s soccer history.
Aulicino looked like a completely different player in the second half while the Wildcats made her the focal point of the offense. She used her pace to make runs past defenders into dangerous areas near the eighteen yard box, with teammates looking to play the ball to her specifically. Aullicino had a hand in the first five goals of the second half as the Wildcats buried the Golden Grizzlies within just over ten minutes.
Moynihan said a tactical shift at halftime was what unlocked Aulicino and the NU offense in the second half.
“We made a little bit of an adjustment and that really opened things up,” Moynihan said. “Meg [Boade] and Josie were having a little bit of a harder time getting the ball, but once we tweaked Caterina [Regazzoni] in the midfield, we were really able to open those other two up.”
Bookend goals for the Wildcats both came off of crosses played to the back post. In the 26th minute , senior midfielder Meg Boade lofted a ball into the eighteen-yard box that found junior defender Emma Phillips. Phillips directed a free header past Oakland junior goalkeeper Hayley Lindow into the net to open the scoring. To close the scoring in the 71st minute, substitutes senior forward Bridget Mitchell and freshman forward Megan Norkett connected for a pretty-looking goal.
After Norkett beat her defender off the dribble on the left sideline, she drilled a ball across the box into Mithcel’s path. She stuck out her right foot and touched it into the right-side netting.
NU simply put on a finishing clinic Thursday, motivated at least in part by a 0-0 draw with Kansas State in their previous game. The Wildcats were ranked 18th in the country heading into that game, but dropped out of the Top 25 after the result .
“I think it motivated us a little bit, we were a little pissed,” Aullicino said. “I think coming off of Kansas State, there were moments in that game where we just missed open shots, not even on the frame. We knew we didn’t really need to change much, just finish our chances.”
For Moynihan, the game was a career milestone victory reached with his second program. He began his coaching career in 1993 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukeeas an assistant under his sister Susan Moynihan. He took over the program, the same one his mother Laura Moynihan ran for a year in 1991, four years later, and subsequently guided the Panthers to 13 Horizon League conference championships in 19 seasons.
He took over at Northwestern in 2011 and has coached the Wildcats to five NCAA tournament appearances.To the NU head coach, win No. 300 was business as usual.
“I just love the game,” Moynihan said “I love helping the kids achieve something and work together as a unit. Hopefully there’s 300 more, I have no idea when I’ll stop.”
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