EVANSTON, Ill. – The Illinois State soccer team fell to No. 24 Northwestern, 1-0, Thursday night at Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium. With the loss, the Redbirds fall to 2-5-0 on the season, while the Wildcats improve to 6-0-0 overall.
The difference in the match came in the 19th minute when Northwestern's Nikia Smith scored after a scramble inside the 18-yard box. Freshman Haley Smith had two stellar back-to-back saves, but with multiple numbers in the box, the Wildcats snuck one in to the back of the net for the only goal of the contest.
Shortly after the goal, ISU gained momentum and was able to control the ball in the Wildcats' attacking third the rest of the half. However, the Redbirds were outshot over the first 45 minutes, 9-2.
In the second half, the Wildcats tested the Redbirds, as they tallied 16 more shots. ISU's defense had an incredible play in the 70th minute when Northwestern rocketed a corner kick in the box, and Smith successfully knocked it away, before the Wildcats answered back with a long shot, that was cleared from the goal line.
Over the final 10 minutes, the Redbirds picked up their momentum. Senior Lauren Koehl tried to even the score, as she got a shot off at the top of the 18-yard box, but the ball trailed wide. In the 86th minute, sophomore Megan Kozlow sent a long ball into the box, with junior Emily Dickman making a stellar run, but unfortunately, the ball scanned the top of her foot and went out of bounds, and Northwestern was able to escape with the 1-0 victory.
"I was proud of the way in which we competed tonight, but we just lacked some details to break some of the pressure we were under," head coach Eric Golz said. "Credit to Northwestern; they did a good job of taking away some of the things that we are very good at. It was another difficult opponent that presented some challenges that will help us grow and be better against future opponents"
Overall, Northwestern finished with a 25-7 advantage in shots, with eight on goal, while ISU forced four saves. The Wildcats also tallied six corner kicks compared to the Redbirds' two. Smith had a strong effort between the pipes, as she grabbed a season-high seven saves.
The Redbirds return to Adelaide Street Field Sunday, Sept. 11 to host North Dakota. Kickoff is slated for 12 p.m.
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