COLLEGE PARK, Md. — For the first time in 357 days, No. 1 Northwestern lost a game.
In a contest where dominant defense for both squads shone through, No. 9 Michigan blanked the Wildcats (19-1, 8-1 Big Ten) 1-0 to claim the Big Ten tournament title and snap NU’s 19-game winning streak. The Wolverines (15-4, 6-3 Big Ten) scored the game’s only goal early in the third quarter, taking advantage of a power-play opportunity to secure the win.
“No one likes to lose, and we haven’t done it often,” coach Tracey Fuchs said. “Now it’s just about regrouping and getting to that next game.”
For the first six minutes of the match, neither side could register a shot. Michigan earned two penalty corners in quick succession, but neither generated a serious threat.
NU’s best scoring chance of the opening frame came in with three minutes left in the first quarter. Sophomore forward Ashley Sessa was awarded a penalty stroke, only for Michigan’s goalkeeper Hala Silverstein to deny her with a crucial save.
As the first half wound down, Michigan was handed a green card, and the ‘’Cats quickly earned a penalty corner with 37 seconds left on the clock. But sophomore back Ilse Tromp’s drag-flick toward the post sailed wide, and the game remained scoreless heading into halftime.
Then came the pivotal moment: Less than three minutes into the third quarter, senior midfielder Maddie Zimmer was shown a green card, giving Michigan the advantage. The Wolverines wasted no time exploiting the extra player, and Michigan forward Alana Richardson fired a shot on the run from the top of the shooting arc that beat graduate student goalkeeper Annabel Skubisz for the game’s only goal.
“Unfortunately, we made an unforced error and they capitalized, and that’s what they’re really good at,” Fuchs said.
To open the final frame, sophomore forward Olivia Bent-Cole sprinted through the neutral zone, maneuvering past one Michigan defender and then another to draw Silverstein out from her post. With little room, Bent-Cole got the shot off, but missed her target, hitting the side of the cage instead.
NU brought the pressure as the clock trickled down, outshooting Michigan 7-0 and earning three penalty corners to the Wolverines’ none in the fourth quarter, but came away with nothing to show for it.
“I thought we had more than enough chances to win. The ball didn’t fall for us, but, boy, we had three or four (shots) that typically do,” Fuchs said.
As Fuchs’ squad pressed for an equalizer with an empty net, Michigan’s defense held firm. The Wolverines closed out the game’s final moments to secure the shutout and hand the ‘Cats their first conference loss since they dropped the 2022 Big Ten Tournament final, also to Michigan.
NU has been given the No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. It will play the winner of Vermont and Miami (Ohio) in the second round of the tournament at Lakeside Field after earning a first-round bye and home-field advantage.
“It’s not often you get to play in the NCAAs, especially with such a small field, so we’re excited, and we’ll be ready to go back on home turf,” Fuchs said.
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Twitter: @AudreyPachuta
