As Northwestern’s quarterfinal game against Colorado stretched into double overtime Thursday, junior midfielder Noel Cumberland readied herself for a free-position shot.
The Wildcats (17-3, 7-1 Big Ten) had already weathered four critical stops by Colorado goalkeeper Elena Oh and a yellow card on senior attacker Madison Taylor across the extra frames. After more than 68 minutes of play, Cumberland was fouled outside the fan and officials upheld the call following a lengthy review.
The whistle blew. Cumberland fired a shot, burying it neatly behind Oh.
After surviving the program’s first-ever sudden-death double-overtime game 13-12, the ’Cats punched their ticket to a seventh-straight Final Four. They also proved they could stand their ground against the Buffaloes (16-4, 4-1 Big 12), who boasted the nation’s top-ranked scoring defense entering the contest.
NU skirted elimination, but only after spending much of the game trying to solve a punishing backer zone defense — one the team had seen before.
Just three months prior, the ’Cats fell 10-9 to Colorado in their first unranked home loss since 2002. In the upset, NU failed to crack their opponent’s zone and find an offensive rhythm, putting just 17 out of 30 shots on frame.
That was far from the case Thursday, when the ’Cats outshot the Buffaloes 29-20, with 24 attempts on frame. In the overtime periods, NU outshot Colorado 6-0.
Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said postgame Thursday that February’s defeat provided its own fuel.
“When you go up against that type of a zone, you have to feel it in order to know,” Amonte Hiller said. “Having felt it, having played them earlier in the season, I think our girls knew what they were going to be up against.”
This year, Colorado’s defense held every opponent to under 10 goals — until its rematch with the ’Cats.
Taylor described the Buffaloes’ zone defense as “the best we’ve seen all season.”
“To play that zone, you need a lot of athletes,” Taylor said. “They have every single athlete out there, and we’re running around trying to at least get to the net, but it’s really hard when they’re pressing out like that so far.”
Two conference award winners anchored Colorado’s defense: Oh, the conference’s Goalkeeper of the Year, and defender Jess Peluso, the back-to-back Big 12 Defender of the Year, who caused two turnovers Thursday. Defender Lola Flynn caused four turnovers across the game, while Oh made four stops in overtime to keep the Buffaloes alive.
NU’s draw dominance once again proved key to the game, with consistent possession giving the ’Cats a chance at breaking through the Buffaloes’ defense.
NU outdrew Colorado 20-7, including the last eight draws of the contest. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Madison Smith pulled down a game-high seven draw controls, while senior attacker Maddie Epke racked up six.
However, the first half wasn’t what the ’Cats had drawn up.
Amonte Hiller said the team had specifically prepared to avoid foul trouble but failed to follow through, allowing Colorado to “capitalize on those opportunities.” By the final whistle, NU totaled eight fouls, with five of them in the first two quarters.
“We did not follow our own game plan,” Amonte Hiller said. “At halftime, that was a big focus of ours. It’s just playing disciplined, playing smart.”
Despite a two-goal deficit at the half, NU rallied to outscore Colorado 6-4 in the last two quarters.
Throughout the game, Taylor posted four goals and an assist, while junior midfielder Taylor Lapointe tallied three goals and two assists, converting 75% of her shots.
“We knew that last time wasn’t our best showing at all, mentally or physically, against this team,” Taylor said. “I’m just really proud of our offense for being able to step up and bring out a different side from what we saw last time.”
The ’Cats have now won 27-straight games at Martin Stadium and kept Amonte Hiller’s postseason home record standing at a perfect 38-0. Come Friday, NU will face Johns Hopkins in the semifinals — with a spot in the national championship on the line.
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