The wind was blowing hard for the full 90 minutes of Northwestern's 2-1 victory over No. 7 Notre Dame.
The score doesn’t properly indicate how lopsided the game seemed at times. Sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Miller's play was sensational, but he also received significant help from defenders in blocking a 21-shot barrage on the Northwestern goal.
Northwestern shot out to an early lead on a goal by freshman Joey Calistri at the 14:36 mark in the first half. Senior Chris Ritter assisted on the shot with a through ball that left Calistri open at the left corner of the 18-yard box. The shot struck the back right netting of the goal, escaping Notre Dame goalkeeper Patrick Wall’s touch.
Head coach Tim Lenahan said he was pleased to see Calistri play well, especially because he said some freshman tend to slump in the middle of their season. Calistri admitted to having a slump the past three or four games and said he was excited to emerge from it in a big way.
Just under five minutes later, junior Lepe Seetane scored a left-footed goal from the top of the box off an assist from Calistri.
“This whole week I was practicing that shot because I missed a couple of times,” Seetane said. “I knew I had to come out big if we wanted the opportunity for a home win against No. 7 team in the country.”
In the 85th minute, a shot finally passed the otherwise perfect goalkeeping of Miller. Patrick Hodan scored an unassisted goal off the rebound of his own shot.
With about 20 minutes remaining in the game, the wind picked up in the direction of Northwestern’s goal and with just eight minutes left, rain started to fall. For most of the game, kicking into the wind actually helped the 'Cats, as they were playing more of a control game and weren’t trying to boot the ball deep downfield. In the final few minutes, as NU was trying to preserve its 2-0 lead, clearing the ball against the wind seemed to pose a challenge.
“Nobody likes coming out here,” Seetane said, “and we were able to use this field and the weather to our advantage.”
Northwestern was coming off of a long break in action over the last week, while Notre Dame played a game last weekend. Coach Lenahan admitted that the extra rest was an important factor in the match, especially with the wind tiring out players.
The 'Cats had a 7-6 advantage on shots taken by halftime, but finished the game with a 21-9 deficit, indicating a large shift to defensive ball-playing in the second half. Miller finished with six saves, compared to two for Notre Dame's Wall.
Next up for the Wildcats is a match against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 14.