With three minutes remaining in Northwestern’s Friday night matchup at No. 13 Michigan, senior goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de León stared down Wolverine midfielder Mitar Mitrovic in the penalty box.
Mitrovic’s penalty kick would all but give Michigan the win from behind, breaking the teams’ 1-1 stalemate. That win would be instrumental in maintaining the Wolverines’ (9-2-3, 5-2-1 Big Ten) third-place conference standing.
On the other hand, Ponce de León had held his own against a team the Wildcats (6-5-3, 1-4-2 Big Ten) weren’t projected to beat. But when the whistle blew, he dove to the right, guessing wrong and allowing Mitrovic to shoot in the opposite direction.
The penalty sealed the Wolverines’ 2-1 win — and another heartbreaker for the ’Cats.
Michigan dominated possession for most of the first half. But the Wolverines’ cautious play allowed NU to strike first in the 31st minute.
Junior midfielder Peter Riesz received junior defender Bryant Mayer’s throw-in at midfield. Riesz found freshman forward Aaron O’Reilly, who outran a Wolverine defender up the field and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to net his third goal of the season.
NU maintained its unlikely 1-0 lead over an hour into the game, even as both sides ramped up their attacking to start the second half.
Ponce de León saved several Michigan chances, including a dangerous volley from Wolverine forward Grayson Elmquist, which the goalkeeper punched over the crossbar in the 56th minute. But he was unable to stop Elmquist ten minutes later, when the forward raced through on goal and rounded him, tapping into an empty net to equalize for Michigan.
It was anyone’s game from that moment on. NU’s pressure resulted in several close attempts and set pieces, but their lack of finishing led to six second-half saves for Wolverine goalkeeper Isaiah Goldson.
Michigan hadn’t fared much better, having failed to capitalize on its nine corner kicks to NU’s one. But in the game’s waning minutes, the Wolverines managed to take advantage of their 10th and final corner kick of the night.
In his attempt to block the ball, sophomore forward Omar Jallow took down Wolverine Dylan Davis and conceded the penalty that gave Michigan its much-needed win. And the ’Cats left the match with a crushing scoreline.
NU looks to bounce back in its Halloween home game against Indiana at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
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