In the first quarter of Northwestern Lacrosse’s game against USC on Saturday, the sun shone over Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. The ‘Cats netted four goals in front of a record crowd, and all felt good and right in Evanston.
By the end of the game, however, the clouds had swallowed up the sun, and the Wildcats looked just a tiny bit deflated.
This correlation between weather and performance seems overly poetic, but it’s true — the 11-5 scoreline did not fully encapsulate the story of
the Wildcats’ play on “Lacrosse Day in Chicago.”
Underlying the results on paper was a tale of two units: a put-together defense, even if outscored in the fourth quarter, and an offense that struggled to put shots on target. Coupled with turnover woes unseen by the Wildcats since their 9-6 loss to Syracuse, Northwestern seemed to struggle with the little things — offensively challenging the Trojans, utilizing their free positions and maintaining possession of the ball.
The game started out strong for Northwestern: Kate Ratanaproeksa and Noel Cumberland, two absolute units on the transition for the ‘Cats, both snagged goals in the opening three minutes of the game. Aditi Foster added another to her breakout season’s tally, and with two minutes to go in the quarter, Madison Taylor etched her name in the record books yet again as she got her 300th career goal.
“I feel like these past four years have been the best years of my life,” Taylor said. “I definitely didn’t see myself being able to do that. It’s just a really surreal feeling.”
On the defensive end, Northwestern’s zone marking worked incredibly well, a fact that Taylor attributed in her post-game interview to the work the defensive squad has been putting in at practice. At times, the Trojans endlessly passed the ball around the fan, never able to find a pocket of space to fire off a shot. Even when they could find the net, goalkeeper Jenika Cuocco was there to save the day: she tallied a 64.3% save percentage, her second-highest mark of the season.
“Any time you can get saves, it influences your defense in a really positive way,” said head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller on Cuocco. “She’s really made some big saves, and some timely ones, and it gives everyone confidence on the field.”
But come the second quarter, Northwestern’s esteemed offensive unit began to unravel through its missed opportunities. Seven of its shots were either wide, blocked or saved, compared to just three in the first quarter. This figure remained equally as high in the third quarter, and slightly decreased to five in the fourth quarter.
USC’s two goalkeepers in net — Annie Shields and Ellie Thomas — had saving percentages of 25% and 54.5%, respectively. Thomas’ saving performance was her second-best of the season.
Northwestern gave up seven turnovers in the fourth quarter alone, some of which were the result of pressure by the Trojans and others which were completely unforced. The last 15 minutes — in which the Trojans outscored the ‘Cats 3-2 — built a frustration that was palpable postgame.
“We need to do a better job of keeping that momentum through the whole game and not just the first quarter,” Taylor said. “Or if we don’t do it the first quarter, we do it the second quarter.”
So it seems, at least to the average person familiar with Northwestern Lacrosse, that the Wildcats’ frustration surrounding their lukewarm performance related more to a knowledge that they can do better, especially given their recent record with wins over top opponents Johns Hopkins and UNC.
Besides, Northwestern’s game against No. 1 Maryland on Thursday isn’t being framed as a challenge or a roadblock to proving Northwestern’s worth, at least not in Taylor’s eyes.
“It’s super awesome to play a really good opponent who really tests you and always brings out the best in us,” Taylor said. “So, we’re super excited for that and it’s going to be a great opportunity for us.”
The weather in College Park on Thursday is currently slated to be 63 degrees with a little bit of sun. Let’s hope the Wildcats bring the same joy against the Terrapins that they brought to their sunny opening minutes vs. USC and that they can leave the clouds behind.
