Through 29 minutes of No. 2 Northwestern’s home opener Monday night, the hosts looked like the shell of a team with national championship aspirations. Colorado held the Wildcats (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) to just two goals and looked dominant across the field.
Despite mounting a second-half comeback and nabbing a two-goal lead, NU let victory slip from its hands as it fell 10-9 to the Buffaloes (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Ryan Fieldhouse. It was the ’Cats’ first loss at home to an unranked opponent since 2002.
“You have to have a level of humility,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “Because if you don’t, you’re going to get humbled quick.”
After scoring 20 goals against No. 3 Boston College on Friday, NU was held to single-digit goals for just the fourth time since the start of last season.
In the loss, senior attacker Madison Taylor led the team with eight points, posting six goals and two assists. Junior midfielder Taylor Lapointe tallied a career-high four assists.
Colorado put the pressure on almost immediately, forcing two turnovers before scoring the game’s first goal. It set the tone for the remainder of the quarter, during which the ’Cats could only muster one goal and trailed 3-1.
Frustration grew after Taylor looked to have cut the deficit to one, but a review found she committed a dangerous follow-through and the goal was disallowed.
NU’s offense stayed stagnant for most of the first half, courtesy of Colorado’s unrelenting defense. The visitors forced 13 turnovers during the first two quarters.
“Colorado played an excellent game, and they were ready to step up at every turn,” Amonte Hiller said.
The momentum began to shift in favor of the ’Cats 57 seconds before halftime. Taylor and graduate student attacker Olivia Adamson both found the back of the net, bringing NU to a one-goal deficit with 30 minutes remaining.
As evident by Taylor’s final stat line, she was the driving force behind the ’Cats’ comeback attempt. In the third quarter, she scored all four of NU’s goals, giving her squad a two-goal lead heading into the final period. A once-loud section of Buffaloes fans grew quiet for the first time all game.
As the time dwindled, Colorado shut down the Taylor-sparked offense, holding her to just two shots and one goal in the final quarter. At the same time, Buffaloes attacker Maddie Shoup picked apart the ’Cats’ defense, scoring three goals in the quarter, including the game-winner with under five minutes remaining.
In the final minutes, NU attempted five shots, including one in the final 10 seconds, but it could not find the equalizer. As the final buzzer sounded, the ’Cats quickly abandoned their home turf as the visitors celebrated the upset.
“If you want to be a good team, you have to be consistent,” Amonte Hiller said. “You have to have the same mentality every time you step out on the field. We had a great mentality going into that first game, and in our second game, we did not.”
NU looks to bounce back against No. 20 Army on Saturday.
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