The lakeside weather may have been inconsistent and unpredictable, but the reigning Big Ten champs were far from it on Sunday afternoon.
With a stout defensive effort, solid passing and a tinge of luck, the Wildcats (9-2-2) overpowered Ohio State (5-7-1) 1-0 on a wet Evanston day to remain undefeated in conference play.
The downpour subsided early on, but the slick surface was clearly a factor as players were slipping almost every time they tried to make a cut and change direction. Still, the 'Cats were more accustomed to the inclement weather at Lakeside Field and adapted quickly.
Fifteen minutes in, the 'Cats began to dominate possession. Junior midfielder Lepe Seetane had the first real opportunity on an acrobatic half volley toward the left post. Buckeye goalkeeper Alex Wimmer had to dive to save the bouncing shot.
The next major opportunity came 34 minutes in, not without a bit of luck. On a free kick from the right, about 50 yards out, substitute Eric Weberman lofted an intended cross toward the box. Several players jumped for headers, but the wind carried the bright pink Breast Cancer Awareness ball over them. It took a bounce 5 yards in front of goal and hopped into the upper left corner off of the crossbar, just evading the outstretched arms of Wimmer. Weberman looked more surprised than excited.
“We knew we had the wind, so they said to just play a hard ball in and it would push it in," he said. "That’s what I did, and it kind of dropped and got a lucky bounce and went in.”
Despite the unlikely goal, the 'Cats didn’t let it make them complacent, as they nearly scored again when Weberman’s cross from the right side led to several blocked opportunities from point-blank range.
The second half was much more evenly matched. The Buckeyes came out determined to tie it up, and both teams had several great chances to put one into the back of the net. Off of a corner kick, the ball fell to Ohio State defender Zach Mason, whose quick shot was deflected toward the right post. Northwestern goalkeeper Tyler Miller, caught off balance, stuck out his left foot just in time to knock it away.
Northwestern also had a few more excellent chances. Weberman blasted a shot that hit the crossbar and bounced downward, but did not cross the goal line. Right afterward, Seetane sliced through the Buckeye defense and had his shot barely tipped away.
When the final whistle blew, it was mission accomplished for the 'Cats. They now own a 3-0-0 Big Ten record, tying them with Indiana at the top of the conference. They also make a strong case to return to the Top 25 rankings after rebounding from the loss to Bradley with two wins in a row.
Head coach Tim Lenahan gives a lot of credit for the victory to his goal-scorer.
“Webby was fantastic today," Lenahan said. "He scored the goal, but he earned the goal. He had a couple other chances, and he really changed the game for us.”
Conversely, Ohio State drops to 0-3-0 in conference and remains winless away from home. A big reason for this was Northwestern’s ability to shut down Chris Hegngi, the Big Ten offensive player of the year in 2011.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of making sure we surrounded numbers around the ball,” Lenahan said. “He’s such a dangerous player. We tried to get some numbers around him so he couldn’t beat us individually, and I thought we did that for the most part.”
Though the win was deserved, the celebration will be short, and Lenahan knows that in this league, no win comes easy.
“We’re just trying to grind our way through a very tough conference schedule. So far we’ve played well.”
The 'Cats next contest will come on Wednesday, when they battle Loyola-Chicago at Loyola Soccer Park.