Despite the up-and-down season, the Northwestern women’s soccer team is stepping up at a very opportune time, just as the regular season is drawing to a close.
On a beautiful afternoon with clear, sunny skies, Northwestern recognized its seniors, midfielder Meredith Finsand and defenders Jessica Rubin and Bri Westlund, all three of whom were Academic All-Big Ten honorees.
All were accompanied by their families, which for Finsand included her sister and teammate Kiltie, who is a sophomore.
The Wildcats then proceeded to battle their way to a 1-0 victory off of a Niki Sebo header with five minutes left, continuing their habit for creating late drama.
The first half was back-and-forth, with neither team dominating possession or generating many chances on offense. The ‘Cats finished the half with five shots to Iowa’s three, but none proved to be very dangerous against the dominant defenses. The goalkeepers were only forced to make one save apiece, as the defenders were blocking shots with ease.
It didn’t take long for the tempo to be elevated in the second half. Five minutes in, Wildcat junior forward Kate Allen’s free kick from 30 yards dipped toward the bottom left corner and forced Iowa’s Hannah Clark to make a diving save.
Iowa’s Ashley Catrell responded just 10 minutes later. Racing down the left flank, she had her left-footed shot blocked. When it fell to her feet again, she cut back toward the middle and ripped a right-footed strike toward the far right post, only to be denied by an impressive fingertip save from sophomore goalkeeper Anna Cassell.
With several similar chances coming in the second 45 minutes, it was the sure-handed goalkeepers who were ruling the turf. Then, with five minutes remaining, the ‘Cats created a solid buildup, with the team pushing up to try for a late score. Freshman defender Jennifer Korn sent in a cross from the left corner, connecting with the head of sophomore midfielder Sebo. The floating header from 5 feet out floated over the outstretched arms of Goodson and into the upper left corner for the goal. While the stunned Hawkeyes tried to regroup, Sebo’s teammates swarmed her in celebration.
“After every practice, we can’t leave until we get at least seven (headers) and it was literally just like that,” Sebo said. “It was an exciting goal.”
Still, Iowa was not about to accept defeat, and the ‘Cats had to withstand a barrage of late efforts. After several blocked shots by the defense, time ran out on the Hawkeyes, and the Wildcat seniors could go out on top at Lakeside Field.
“It’s one of the greatest feelings,” Westlund said. “Our season hasn’t gone the way we wanted, but to win on Senior Day means a lot. It represents our perseverance through our four years as seniors, so it’s really great.”
While the team is happy to have earned two straight victories, head coach Michael Moynihan says that they are certainly not satisfied.
“The feeling of winning is addictive, and the players are just hungry,” Moynihan said. “They’ve been working really hard, and they want to see a reward for that hard work that they’ve been putting in.”
The ‘Cats will try to keep the momentum going on Saturday when they head to Michigan State to take on the Spartans in their regular season finale.