Northwestern had its way for much of Monday evening’s home clash with Washington, out-shooting its guests 19-8 and controlling 61% of the possession. But, as the final whistle blew, it was the Huskies (6-3-2, 3-1-0 Big Ten) who came away with all three points, propelled by a scrappy first-half set piece goal.
The Wildcats (5-4-1, 1-3-0 Big Ten) were left regretting missed opportunities as they dropped their third of four Big Ten contests.
Washington center back Harrison Bertos provided decisive touches in both goalmouths, bundling in the game’s lone goal and making two last-ditch goal-line clearances.
After the match, coach Russell Payne lauded his team’s attacking intent but lamented that it only managed to put six of its 19 shots on target.
“I’m proud of the guys in terms of taking the game to Washington, but that’s an expectation for us,” Payne said. “And the other expectation is we keep our shots on target, we win that game.”
The first half took on a frenetic quality, with transition opportunities and clear-cut chances aplenty for both teams.
The ’Cats put the pressure on early, with a left-footed chest-down-and-volley by senior midfielder Doug Hainer stopped by Washington goalkeeper Levi Bieber. Graduate student midfielder and captain Joe Suchecki pounced on the rebound with a header that Bertos reflexively cleared off the line.
In the 22nd minute, the Huskies found themselves on the attack when midfielder Joe Dale raced through on goal from the right and fired a deflected effort just over the crossbar.
Washington took the ensuing corner short to midfielder Alex Hall, who clipped an outswinging cross into the 6-yard-box, where Bertos continued his end-to-end play by heading the ball toward the net.
Senior goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de León reflexively parried the close-range header, but it deflected back off of Bertos and dribbled into the back of the net. As Bertos celebrated by running toward the bench, he blew a kiss to a pack of young NU fans.
Bertos’ superb night continued minutes later when he headed senior center back Nigel Prince’s header away from the goal line and out for a corner.
In the second half, the two teams traded chances up and down the field before Washington began one of its signature counter-attacks in the 63rd minute. As the Huskies sprinted up the pitch, the ’Cats defense scrambled to recover, but Ponce de León sprinted off his line and bailed them out with an impressive save.
“You can call any coach in the league, Washington’s special quality is counters,” Payne said. “You’re not gonna stop their counters. You’re going to minimize some of their counters.”
The ’Cats’ greatest chance of the second half came in the 73rd minute. Senior forward Alejandro Martinez Santamaria played a pair of one-twos with substitute junior midfielder Peter Riesz and Suchecki that set him free on the left side of the penalty area, but Bertos was able to block his left-footed strike with another piece of defensive heroics.
As the game neared the 90th minute, the ’Cats continued to press while Washington fell back into a low defensive block. Substitute sophomore forward Omar Jallow and junior right back Bryant Mayer were two of the many players who tried but failed to break the Huskies’ wall.
Following the final whistle, Payne and his team gathered for a prolonged huddle, with NU’s coach becoming animated near its conclusion. Payne said the players took the lead in analyzing where they had room for improvement.
“The biggest message that they came up with, that I just reinforced, was dependability,” Payne said. “Everyone has to be dependable in their role… and enough of the guys, especially some of the older guys who weren’t afraid to show ownership, pinpointed what they needed to do better and then tried to encourage the team to have that same level of ownership.”
NU returns to Martin Stadium for a non-conference matchup against Evansville next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Payne said he would be paying little attention to the team lining up on the other side of the pitch, regardless of opponent.
“I don’t need to see another opponent’s name listed on the rest of the schedule,” Payne said. “It’s us versus us.”
Email: elikronenberg2027@u.northwestern.edu
Email: yonizacks2029@u.northwestern.edu
Bluesky: @ywzreports.bsky.social
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