In the 89th minute of Northwestern’s road tilt with Indiana, freshman goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson went to take a goal kick — a routine action she had completed all season, kicking the ball upfield as NU searched for a winner.
This time, however, things took a turn for the worse. Instead of creating an opportunity for the Wildcats (5-3-6, 1-2-4 Big Ten), the ball landed right at the feet of Indiana midfielder Maggie Ledwith, who took advantage of the rare error and sent the ball past a diving Nelson into the back of the net.
NU dominated the first two-thirds of the game, but couldn’t hold down the fort when it mattered, conceding two goals in the final 10 minutes to fall 2-1 to the Hoosiers (4-4-5, 1-2-4 Big Ten) in a key conference match.
In the first half, the ’Cats controlled play, starting with a corner kick two minutes into the match. The team didn’t let up from there, creating most of the chances early on.
Despite the flurry of attacks, Hoosiers goalkeeper Dani Jacobson stood tall in net, helped by a strong defensive wall. Sophomore right back Ava Goodin was one of several players to fail to break through, sprinting past defenders before being stopped short of a goal by Indiana defender Haden Vlcek in the 11th minute as part of a run of three chances for NU.
As the ’Cats continued to pressure, more and more chances came. In the 16th minute, sophomore forward Kennedy Roesch found herself one-on-one against Jacobson in the box. The team’s leading scorer couldn’t finish as she missed wide to the left of the goal.
The Hoosier defense continued their strong play in the 28th minute. Graduate student midfielder Kelsey Kwon sent a long cross into the box for freshman midfielder Keira Kemmerley, but Indiana defender Olivia Albert was able to clear the ball and prevent a chance.
That strong defense would collapse, however, in the 31st minute. Kwon was battling in the box when Vlcek tripped her up, sending Kwon to the ground. After a long review, NU was awarded a penalty kick. Senior midfielder Caterina Regazzoni stepped up to the spot to take the shot, silencing the crowd by placing it in the bottom-right corner.
Five minutes later, the ’Cats had a chance to extend their lead when substitute senior forward Hayley Newman sent a long pass up the line to fellow substitute and freshman defender Gabby Anderson. Anderson tried to cross the ball to the third substitute, junior midfielder Sarah O’Donnell, who was sprinting to the near post, but Indiana midfielder Olivia Smith headed the ball away from the danger.
Junior forward Megan Norkett continued the attack in the 38th minute, weaving through defenders before ripping a shot toward the bottom left corner that Jacobson sent aside. The ’Cats put four shots on target in the half to the Hoosiers’ one.
The second half continued with more of the same, as NU continued to find success with long passes throughout the early part of the half. However, as the game neared its conclusion, the momentum started to shift.
The turning point came in the 74th minute, when chaos at midfield led to a chance for Indiana midfielder Paige Droner. She dribbled through several defenders and took a shot that bounced off of the crossbar and in front of Nelson, where Regazzoni was able to clear it.
Unfettered by the bad luck, the Hoosiers continued to apply pressure for the next few minutes. They finally broke through in the 80th minute when defender Grace Hamm sent a long shot past Nelson’s outstretched hands into the bottom right corner of the net, tying the game and compounding the momentum shift.
As the seconds ticked off, Indiana maintained its newfound offense and capitalized on Nelson’s error to take the lead. Kemmerley had one final chance in the 89th minute, but ended up taking a low-probability shot that went straight into the hands of substitute Indiana goalkeeper Sally Rainey.
The ’Cats, floundering in 14th place in the Big Ten, return home Sunday to face 17th-place Rutgers.
Email : [email protected]
X : @YoniZreports
Bluesky : @ywzreports.bsky.social
Related Stories:
— Women’s Soccer: Northwestern earns first Big Ten win in 3-0 Nebraska thumping
— Women’s Soccer: Northwestern suffers first Big Ten defeat to No. 18 Penn State
— Women’s Soccer: Northwestern draws fourth consecutive match in 0-0 stalemate with No. 23 Ohio State
