It says a lot about the strength of Big Ten soccer when the two highest-ranked teams at the start of the season are at the bottom of the conference standings.
The No. 25 Wildcats (9-5-3, 1-3-1 Big Ten) came into Sunday's matchup against No. 23 Wisconsin (12-3-2, 3-2-0) in that second-to-last spot, and they would stay there after a 1-0 loss to the Badgers at Lakeside Field.
"The other team was better than us today, and in a parity-driven league like this league that we have ... it comes down to a little bit of the intangibles," Northwestern head coach Tim Lenahan said. "I thought the other team had more of the intangibles today."
Early on, it was a back-and-forth battle. Neither team owned possession, and neither team held momentum. Both found their best chances off of runs down the sideline and crosses toward the back post.
Just under twenty minutes in, sophomore Cole Missimo gave the 'Cats a great chance when he nearly caught Wisconsin goalkeeper Max Jentsch off guard. Missimo sent in what looked like a cross, but Jentsch had to punch it away at the last second to keep it from finding the back corner of the net.
Wisconsin responded with several chances of its own. A driven shot forced NU sophomore goalkeeper Zak Allen to make an acrobatic diving save, and the follow-up shot sailed over the crossbar. Minutes later, Nick Jones got a slight touch on a low cross, and the shot went just barely over the top.
That wasn't the end from the Badgers. They sent in several more dangerous crosses, but the Northwestern back line was very solid, particularly junior Nikko Boxall, a First Team All-Big Ten selection in 2012. Behind their tough defenses, the teams went into halftime locked in a scoreless draw.
The visitors came out of the break and built off the many chances they created late, but Northwestern stayed strong. Boxall pushed up and got on the end of a cross, but his header was barely tipped away by Jentsch. Wisconsin immediately went on the counterattack, but its first attempt pinged off the post and the rebound went just wide.
Then, in the 56th minute the Badgers found their breakthrough. Chris Prince had the ball along the right sideline and passed to Nick Janus at the top of the box. He used a nifty move to juke a defender, and when Miller sprinted out at him, Janus coolly slotted it past his leg into the bottom right corner.
Five minutes later, Janus nearly struck again when he chested a cross then volleyed it toward goal. The rocket shot nestled in the side netting for a goal kick, even though many Wisconsin fans thought it was in. Later, Tomislav Zadro broke free of his marker and ripped a left-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box. Miller couldn't get to it, but it bounced off the goalpost.
The Wildcats kept pushing up and looking for the equalizer, but Wisconsin ended up getting the better chances off the counterattack. Their impressive ball skills were on display, and they came inches away from doubling their lead several times.
Ultimately, time ran out on Northwestern. With a 1-3-1 mark in conference play, the 'Cats are now sixth out of seven teams in the Big Ten. The only team behind them? Indiana, the reigning national champions who started the season ranked No. 1.
That's whom the Wildcats will face on Friday in their final regular season game. They've got a lot to shore up, and Boxall is ready to get back at it in practice.
"It starts in training on Tuesday," Boxall said. "We've got to just fix those little mistakes. I'm sure we'll be alright for Indiana."