At their final home game of the season, the Wildcats proved something. And they did it without winning a game.
After two solid halves, Northwestern (4-11, 0-5) could not fend off No. 4 Michigan any longer, falling to the Wolverines 3-2 on senior day at Lakeside Field. With the win, Michigan (13-4, 6-0) captured the Big Ten with a perfect record.
"The goal differentials between us and Big Ten teams has been a little bit large," coach Kelly McCollum said. "This game just showed that even to the top team in the conference we can have a one-goal differential and be right in the game to take it away."
The game took on added significance because it was the seniors' last contest at home.
"I was happy that as a team we could give the seniors one last great game on our home field," junior forward Alex Quinn said. "They can have that memory of their last home game on this field as a game where we just lost to the Big Ten championship team by one goal."
NU put together its best Big Ten effort of the season against the Wolverines only two days after being shutout 3-0 by Ohio State (6-10, 2-3). The Cats were a new-look team Sunday with no signs of the lackluster offensive and defensive effort that plagued them against the Buckeyes.
Senior midfielder Cassie Miller was quick to point out the team is making steady progress.
"We're improving every couple weeks, every couple days. From Friday to (Sunday) we've improved and we're beginning to score some goals," Miller said.
On Sunday, every time the Wolverines scored, the Cats' offense answered. Down 1-0 early in the first half, NU tied up the contest at the 25-minute mark when sophomore forward Courtney Plaster-Strange threaded a pass to Quinn, who slapped it into the back of the cage for her seventh goal of the season, a team high. It was NU's only shot on goal of the half.
Before halftime, Michigan scored its second goal off of a third consecutive penalty corner.
But in the first five minutes of the second period, NU seized momentum. Miller knotted up the match three minutes in with a powerful shot into the cage.
"First five minutes we came out with tenacity and we were all over them," Miller said. "It was all about possession, denial and making a statement."
In the final seven minutes, Michigan dominated possession and had six consecutive penalty corners called in its favor. It constantly put strain on NU junior goalie Emily Kyle, who deflected shot after shot, totaling 11 saves for the day.
Still, her efforts were not enough to stop Michigan's game-winning goal that came with just 1:35 left in regulation.
"It was good to see us fighting and fighting and doing anything possible to keep the ball out of the cage," McCollum said. "But with that happening it hit our feet one to many times."
Despite her team's two losses this weekend, McCollum said her team learned something which will help them finish off the season strong.
"They are exactly as good as I thought they were, and they're starting to show it," McCollum said. "I know our team has it in us and the results are going to start to come."
The Cats get another shot at the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday, but what players really want is another shot at this year's Big Ten champions, Michigan.
"I'm pissed," Kyle said. "I really wanted to win, but at the same time it just makes me that much more fired up to go and meet them in the Big Ten tournament again and win."
Reach Marcelino Benito Jr. at marcelino-jr@northwestern.edu.
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