As the whipping winds of Lake Michigan battered Martin Stadium and the skies opened up for a brief downpour, Northwestern geared up for its final home clash of the season, taking on No. 19 USC during Senior Day.
Though senior defender Emma Phillips delivered a goal from a set piece in the 53rd minute, the Wildcats (5-8-3, 0-6-2 Big Ten) conceded to the Trojans (11-1-2, 7-0-1 Big Ten) seven minutes later and concluded their 2024 home campaign without recording a Big Ten win.
“We put ourselves in the position to get a result, and we haven’t been able to bridge that yet and find a way to get it,” coach Michael Moynihan said. “I don’t know. It’s hard.”
After dropping 1-0 to UCLA on Thursday, the ’Cats took on the Trojans for the first time in program history.
NU notched the first chance of the match when freshman forward Alex Fallon broke free toward the net in the eighth minute. After a quick passing triangle with freshman forward Kennedy Roesch and junior midfielder Caterina Regazzoni, Fallon fired across the box and forced USC goalkeeper Laurence Gladu into action. Gladu, leaping backward, deflected the shot off the bottom of the crossbar without crossing the goal line.
The ‘Cats continued to control possession for the first 15 minutes of the match before USC mounted a strong chance.
Trojans forward Simone Jackson sent a cross into the penalty box that ricocheted off a ’Cats defender. USC midfielder Maria Alagoa fired a strike that NU goalkeeper Reiley Fitzpatrick couldn’t corral and found the back of the net to put USC up 1-0.
Following halftime, the ’Cats picked up their offensive frequency. After junior defender Brooke Miller earned a set piece in the 52nd minute, Regazzoni delivered a free kick strike into the box. In the ensuing scramble, Phillips – while on the ground – managed to get a boot on the ball. It bounced into the USC goal and equalized for the ’Cats.
“The quality of the serve and the organization of the runs, I thought that made us more dangerous,” Moynihan said of the NU set piece execution Sunday. “We’ve been working on it a lot … the work paid off.”
Six minutes later, USC midfielder Ines Derrien took a ball into the box and was tripped by NU sophomore defender Maddie Finnerty. Though the contact appeared to be incidental, the referee awarded a penalty kick to the Trojans. Derrien buried the penalty strike to put USC up 2-1 in the 59th minute.
Though NU increased its offensive output and forced USC into defending seven corner kicks in the second half, Gladu stood firm in net for the Trojans, making four saves in the final 45 minutes.
The game ended with a 2-1 USC win. With just three regular-season matches remaining, the ’Cats still have yet to secure a conference victory. But Moynihan believes the elusive three points are within reach.
“Today, (USC) said, you guys should have won, you were the better team,” Moynihan said. “When a quality team comes in and says that, it means we’ve got something good going on.”
Before Sunday’s match, NU players’ families and friends lined up to honor the graduating seniors and graduate students in a Senior Day processional. Ten players were celebrated Sunday, including Phillips and graduate student Josie Aulicino, who is tied for first in career assists in NU history with 31.
Moynihan’s eyes misted after breaking down the huddle as he saw his graduating players on the field together for the last time.
“All of them are just fantastic human beings and great teammates,” Moynihan said. “I’ve been doing this a long time and I’ve never seen a group of seniors so united … I can’t say enough about all of them.”
The ’Cats will conclude their season with three road matches: Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois.
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