The 5-6-4 Northwestern Wildcats had gone six games without a win before it welcomed the then-No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers to Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium this past Wednesday.
The ’Cats then proceeded to dominate the Badgers across basically every facet of the game and spoil any chances they had of making the Big Ten tournament.
Aaron O’Reilly, Andrew Millar, Tre Barrett all peppered the Wisconsin net all night as Northwestern registered 19 shots on the day, with 10 being on target, both
those figures being season highs. All of that is without mentioning that NU earned three separate penalties on the day and cashed in on two — the first time it put away multiple PK’s in a contest since its season opener a decade ago. By the same striker, no less.
The funniest part about all of this is that I’m not even the slightest bit surprised.
That’s just the kind of season it has been for this Wildcat team. I don’t know how many times over the course of this column I’ve said something along the lines of “we don’t know what version of the Wildcats we’re going to get.” This team spent a large majority of the season flirting with elite status, micro-dosing on soccer nirvana. The first half of the season produced great results, the second half left more to be desired. At the end of season the squad finished with an exactly .500 record, but this team was perhaps the furthest thing from average.
That’s why it was so important that this squad came out and ended the season on a high note. I’m always going to believe that this team is, or I guess now the proper term is was, better than whatever the record says. Obviously, the guys in the locker room are going to believe the same thing as well, but it’s good to have evidence to back it up. Going over a month without a win is going to damage morale, no matter how connected the locker room is. Putting an end to that streak is important.
Even if the season is over (I don’t think the ’Cats will make an NCAA Tournament appearance), being able to go into next season’s campaign with your most recent win being in November instead of September should provide more optimism.
Now, we can talk about if this team met its own expectations from the preseason. NU improved by a single point in conference play compared to last season. That improvement was not enough to see it move up in the standings — actually finishing one spot lower than it did a season ago. Both Rutgers and Michigan State leapfrogged the ’Cats this year while Indiana, Washington and Maryland stayed in the mix near the top of the conference. This year’s Big Ten was as tough as any iteration of the conference in recent memory, eight teams were ranked at some point in the season. Ohio State was as high as no. 3 on the year and finished as a bottom three team in the conference. Competition was loaded. Looking back on preseason expectations, a .450 record might have been a bit of a disappointment, but with the added context I don’t think it’s a record you can be too disappointed with.
I saw this season as an opportunity for NU to “take the leap” and break into that upper echelon of the conference, and NU did get results in many of the big games I circled in the preseason. NU beat Michigan and outplayed UCLA in the two contests that I marked as “take the leap” contests, it beat Wisconsin and drew against Indiana in the games I tabbed as “benchmarks for growth”. NU even dominated in its “early season test” against Notre Dame.
But it earned one point from its “must win” contests at Rutgers and home against Penn State. Rutgers proved to be stronger than advertised, but you could swap them for the Buckeyes and the sentiment would remain: great teams are consistent and win the games they should. For how good NU’s performances reached at certain points, it feels like they never got the notion that beating the Marquettes and Penn States gives you the same three points as beating No. 2 Maryland. The leap was possible, Rutgers did it, so I’m allowed to feel a little disappointed in the minimal improvement in conference play, even with the added context.
Now, for a final long overdue top 5
POTS: Bryant Mayer
Oh captain, my captain.
Every game it felt like Mayer proved over and over why the arm band was his. Was always rock solid at the back and could erase an opposing winger from the contest when at his best. He even contributed on the other end of the pitch as well, leading the team with five assists and even won a penalty on the final day. The team’s most consistent performer on a week-to-week basis
2. Peter Reisz
The first NU player to score a hat trick since 2024, I neglected to mention it here until now because I believe the hat trick represented how he’s played this season. The only Wildcat to have nailed down a starting role throughout the entire season, his role as a target man was integral to the team’s build. His linkup with the rest of the front line, especially with Ethan Nakolo and O’Reilly, was amazing to watch when those three were clicking on all cylinders.
And of course, seven goals and three assists to lead the team in goals and points. He found himself in great goal-scoring positions so often this season, and many times his shot would barely whistle wide or clang off the woodwork. But other times, you get moments like his goal against Michigan or his second goal against Wisconsin, where he produces a finish of the highest quality.
It would be sad to see him leave if he can’t come back for a fifth season of eligibility.
3. Dominic Pereira
As promised last week, the redshirt sophomore shot-stopper is on the list as one of NU’s best performers on the season. I don’t think you could have convinced me that would be the case after his game against Xavier, but he was by far the most improved player across the entire season. I gave him most of his plaudits last time out in terms of his cross claiming ability, but his shot stopping has also grown so much, especially in 1-on-1s. He had multiple against Wisconsin where he closed down the angle well, and throughout the season he’s produced multiple highlight-reel worthy reaction saves.
For me, he’s been the best performer on the squad, dating back to the Washington contest.
4. Fritz Volmar
The most experienced player in Northwestern’s squad in terms of career minutes played, and that showed so many times this season. He was always using his recovery pace to track down long balls and sniff out potential opposition counters, which was crucial in Payne’s 4-2-4 formation used for most of the year. Always the right place at the right time
5. Evrit Fisher
My POTS at the halfway mark of the season. Fisher saw a slight reduction in playing time as the season went on, but still did well enough to stay in the top five. Simply an amazing ball winner. The 4-2-4 asked so much of the midfield out of possession, and his motor on the defensive end was the reason the team had so much success in that first half of the season. Hard to believe he’s still only a sophomore.
Well, that should be it for The Low Block. I don’t think I could have chosen a better team or season to write a column for, and I enjoyed every second of it. On to the next.
Rest in Power, Ronnie Bouemboue.
