Northwestern women’s soccer faced a tough stretch this past week, dropping a road match to top-ranked Duke before returning home and failing to secure a win in a 1-1 draw against Kent State. Despite outshooting the Golden Flashes 16-7 on Sunday’s home opener, the Wildcats (2-1-1) could not capitalize on their dominance in possession and settled for their first tie of the season.
Northwestern 0, Duke 3 (Aug. 21)
The Wildcats’ third consecutive road test of the 2025 season came against the nation’s top team, and the Blue Devils wasted
little time asserting their dominance.
Northwestern conceded twice in the opening 20 minutes. The first came in the 15th minute, when Duke’s relentless press forced a turnover. A few quick passes sliced open the NU back line, and forward Kat Rader unleashed a 23-yard strike from the left. Goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson reacted but failed to hold onto the ball, which slipped through her arms and into the net.
Just four minutes later, Duke doubled the lead after an NU defensive miscue. Defender Maddie Finnerty attempted to clear the ball but accidentally fired it into teammate Brooke Miller, causing it to bounce back toward the goal. Nelson rushed out to intervene, but Duke’s Avery Oder arrived first, pouncing on the loose ball for a simple finish.
The Blue Devils controlled both tempo and territory for much of the half. Northwestern battled to win the ball back at times, but Duke consistently recovered quickly and stretched the field with its pace.
The Cats surrendered in the second half when Oder struck again in the 56th minute, completing her brace and putting the game out of reach. Northwestern’s best chance to respond came later from a set piece: Caterina Regazzoni disguised a free kick with a pass left to Alex Fallon, whose low shot was smothered by Duke goalkeeper Caroline Dysart.
Ultimately, the Wildcats were outpaced and overmatched by a Duke side that pressed with intensity and punished every mistake. The 3-0 defeat marked NU’s first loss of the season.
Northwestern 1, Kent State 1 (Aug. 24)
Looking to bounce back in their home opener, the Wildcats dominated possession and shot attempts but failed to put away the chances they created.
Northwestern generated multiple opportunities in the first half. After a foul drawn by Regazzoni, Kennedy Roesch fired a direct free kick that was saved by Kent State keeper Leah Shaffer. Later, Regazzoni threaded a pass to Gabby Anderson following a dribble from Roesch, but Shaffer again made the stop before NU failed to convert on the ensuing corner kick.
Despite holding the majority of the ball, the Wildcats were unable to break down Kent State’s organized defense in the final third. Their best look came in the 44th minute, when Hayley Newman won possession and went one-on-one with Shaffer, but the keeper came up big to deny her just before halftime.
“We moved the ball extremely well. We passed and connected, and it’s the final third that was missing,” The Cats’ head coach, Michael Moynihan, said postgame.
NU came out flying after the break. Within seconds, Keira Kemmerly’s shot forced a save from Shaffer at the right post, and Fallon fired the rebound off the crossbar. Soon after, both Roesch and Sarah O’Donnell tested Shaffer again, but the Golden Flashes’ keeper stayed unfazed and stood tall.
Kent State nearly stole the opener in the 67th minute when Ciara Santiago whipped in a cross to the back post, but Kiyomi McCausland’s header drifted just wide of the left post.
Northwestern finally found the breakthrough in the 76th minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse from the Golden Flashes. Pressing high in the box, Liz Cardwell recovered a failed clearance and calmly fed Roesch in the middle. The sophomore forward turned into space and buried her second goal of the season to put NU ahead 1-0.
But the lead lasted only three minutes. As NU turned the possession over on the opposite half in the 79th minute, Kent State’s Allison Collins unleashed a stunning 20-yard strike into the top right corner, leaving Nelson with no chance despite her effort with a stretched dive.
“It was a nice shot,” Moynihan said. “But we should not be turning the ball over in that area of the field after we just take the lead. We made some poor choices, and it came back to haunt us.”
The Wildcats pushed for a winner in the final 10 minutes, but ultimately came up short. Fallon came closest in the 84th, cutting past her defender on a quick throw-in before blasting over the bar from a promising angle. NU never retook the lead, finishing the night frustrated after having advantages in nearly every aspect of the game.
