Pitch Perfect is a day late this week due to my writing a recap for the Indiana game and becoming so invested in it that I neglected this column. If you didn’t read the recap, one person to keep an eye on is Ava Goodin, who went down against Indiana, walked off unassisted, but did not return for the rest of the game. We’ll have to keep monitoring the situation and wish her the best, as Northwestern’s injury situation does not seem to be lightening up at all.
It seems as though my wishes have been
finally granted. Two Big Ten games in one week from Northwestern women’s soccer, and it finally grabs an important six points in conference play: First, a 1-0 win against Oregon, and then a 2-0 win against Indiana.
A special shoutout of the weekend goes to first-year forward Camryn Freeman, who scored two awesome second-half goals versus Indiana to help the Wildcats to victory. Freeman’s goals, just 15 minutes apart, made her the team’s joint-leading goalscorer alongside Alex Fallon.
I thought this linkup between Fallon and Freeman was particularly nice:
Though it is almost certainly too early to talk Big Ten standings, Northwestern (5-4-3, 3-1-1 B1G) currently is sharing that joint-No. 2 position alongside Penn State, Washington, and Wisconsin with 10 points each.
Ahead of the Wildcats sharing the top spots in the Big Ten are No. 2 Michigan State, No. 8 Ohio State, No. 12 UCLA, and Purdue (though I think the United Soccer Coaches rankings update sometime today, so those numbers are subject to change).
The Wildcats have been doing spectacularly well at home — they have lost just once, that 1-0 fluke to Syracuse on Aug. 20 — and have racked up four wins and two ties in Evanston in the interim.
I also want to remind readers that Northwestern has the lightest conference schedule in the Big Ten: The ‘Cats do not face No. 12 UCLA or No. 18 Washington, so their road to the Big Ten Tournament (i.e. finishing in the top 10) will be less windy than others in the conference.
Yet, Northwestern’s next opponent is not going to be a nice one at home — the ‘Cats take on No. 8 Ohio State on the road on Saturday.
Last time around, Northwestern drew with Ohio State 0-0. This year, however, the Buckeyes (8-1-1, 4-1-1 B1G) are looking to be a more lethal team, as they hold a +15 goal differential and will pose a massive threat to the ‘Cats who, though good defensively, can bend under pressure.
Here are some ways the ‘Cats can come out of Columbus with a decent result.
Composure from the back line
I’m going to be a little controversial when I say that Northwestern hasn’t had to face a top-class creator since Addison Halpern in its 3-1 loss against Virginia on Aug. 12. Though Izy Traub and Erin Connolly from Wisconsin might have something to say about that statement, I use it to say that the ‘Cats on defense don’t usually respond well to incredible all-around offensive players.
Northwestern’s back line and midfield is usually incredibly disciplined and cohesive. Against Indiana, for example, there was no one Hoosier individually responsible for the forward line, and so Northwestern felt safe leaving just Gwen Zimmerman to be responsible for the person in that #10 role, Maddie Finnerty responsible for the left forward, and so on.
When a breakout star enters the mix, Northwestern loses that one-to-one player marking advantage it’s normally able to handle. And, unfortunately for Northwestern, Ohio State has a breakout star in senior Amanda Schlueter.
Schlueter currently holds 10 goals, 2 assists and 48 shots in 10 games for the Buckeyes, putting her No. 1 overall in the shots, game-winning goals and points categories in the Big Ten and putting her No. 2 overall in shots on goal and in goals in the Big Ten.
Who exactly is going to be responsible for Schlueter is unknown, but one can guess that first-years Zimmerman and Naomi Lofthouse are going to bear much of the burden of dealing with her.
Northwestern has been doubling down on the three-back of Alberts, Zimmerman and Finnerty as of late, and so it’s going to be extra important that Zimmerman and Lofthouse cover their bases in the middle of the field. Both are remarkably mature players, and Zimmerman’s prowess in the air and Lofthouse’s physicality on the ball will help mitigate Schlueter’s impact. They just need to stay composed and avoid making sloppy errors in the back.
Take chances when they come, or, draw some fouls
Northwestern’s attack isn’t what I’d call an easily-inspired offense. With just 10 goals scored across 12 games, it just doesn’t create naturally. You can’t really blame the ‘Cats, especially considering the team’s missing personnel (I’m talking about Kennedy Roesch).
At the same time, Ohio State’s defense is rock-solid, and it has not let a team score more than one goal against it in a game.
Yet, it is no secret that Northwestern is really, really good at attracting fouls: The ‘Cats have been out-fouled by its opponents 155 to 104 over the course of the season, a 49% difference.
This is exactly where I think Northwestern can exploit offensive opportunities: Keira Wagner and Megan Norkett, in particular, are really good at getting in opponents’ heads with their technical abilities and provoking them to foul, usually in prime areas. Wagner did this a lot against Virginia outside of the box, and it clearly paid off, as the Cavaliers out-fouled the ‘Cats 13-6 that game.
Head coach Michael Moynihan has also talked about how Northwestern has been working on its set pieces, and so I’m hopeful that a free kick goal can finally come to fruition for the ‘Cats.
If Northwestern gets a significant amount of time in the opponents’ half, it will do itself the most favors by slowing the game down on the wings and forcing the Buckeyes to make rash decisions just outside the box. It’s a bit unethical, but against top-ranked opponents, you can’t always play super cleanly.
Less = more
I’m finishing on the note that, despite the fact that it’s the Northwestern special to try and hold possession for as long as possible, less is more for this team.
For Camryn Freeman, it took two touches to score two goals on Sunday. Those two touches turned into four points which turned into putting her into that No. 1 goalscoring spot on the team.
The ‘Cats have had their fair share of defensive scares over the course of the season, especially playing out of the back. Emily Graham of Indiana played an excruciatingly high line on Northwestern’s back three and was able to cause a lot of chaos in the first 45 minutes of the game. Nyamma Nelson almost got caught once or twice against Oregon as she passed the ball out to Zimmerman just yards away.
If there is any team in the Big Ten that can win back balls in an instant and turn those balls into goals, it’s Ohio State. That’s a danger for Northwestern if it tries to possess out of the back because, as they say, once you’re comfortable, you’re complacent.
