Freshman goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson hardly rested during halftime of Northwestern’s 1-0 Sunday afternoon win over Butler.
Instead, she kicked a ball around with assistant coach Reaghan Duval and the two chatted before Nelson returned to her post between the pipes at the field’s opposite end.
Her teammates had just spent the bulk of a scoreless first half on offense, allowing the Bulldogs (2-1-1, 0-0 Big East) to record just one shot on goal in the game’s opening 45 minutes. Still, after she conceded second-half goals that led to tied finishes rather than wins in each of the Wildcats’ (3-1-2, 0-0 Big Ten) previous two contests, Nelson knew better than to take a quiet first period for granted.
“The first half, it was not standard, it was not what I needed it to be,” Nelson said postgame. “I just needed a little extra time to feel out that movement.”
Prior to intermission, the ’Cats tried to adjust to Butler’s style of passing, which coach Michael Moynihan called “unusual” for American teams. Part of the shift included the way Nelson distributed the ball to her teammates in the backfield.
Nelson’s extra halftime reps paid dividends, as she ended the afternoon boasting the third clean sheet of her young career.
Moynihan’s squad also attempted a new formation aimed at preventing the visitors from playing through the middle, something he said he wanted the team to try out before it begins its Big Ten slate.
“I thought that was great preparation for us and an appropriate game to do it,” Moynihan said.
At halftime, the hosts discussed playing with composure and assessing which moments were best to “press hard” rather than sitting back.
Following their modifications, the ’Cats didn’t waste much time before erasing their scoreboard goose egg with a goal. In the game’s 49th minute, sophomore forward Alex Fallon received a pass from freshman midfielder Keira Kemmerley that lured Butler’s goalkeeper away from the net.
Rather than shooting, Fallon connected with sophomore forward Kate Hennen, who easily drilled the ball at an empty net to give NU the advantage.
“I think our team did a great job of finding patience in the game and timing everything perfectly,” Hennen said.
From there, Moynihan’s group held on despite the Bulldogs’ best effort. The visitors recorded five shots in the second half, but the hosts made it through unscathed.
Following their Sunday afternoon victory, the ’Cats will face an uphill road battle as they travel to Fort Worth, Texas to face No. 4 TCU on Thursday.
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