Four days after securing its first conference points in a 2-1 comeback victory over Rutgers, Northwestern returned to Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium for a Tuesday night tilt against Wisconsin.
While the Wildcats (7-5-1, 1-4-1 Big Ten) and the Badgers (6-4-2, 1-4-2 Big Ten) both controlled portions of the match, neither side found a breakthrough goal in a 0-0 draw. The tie extended NU’s unbeaten run to three games.
“We’re in a new season,” coach Russell Payne said. “What happened prior to these games is in the rearview mirror. These guys are geared up and ready for the final push, and they’ve been showing it.”
Junior goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de León leapt into action six minutes into the game, denying Wisconsin defender Ryan Quintos’ headed effort from point-blank range.
Ponce de León said he took a moment pregame to acclimate himself to the night’s chilled-rain conditions, and his preparations left him dialed in at kickoff.
“I just felt in the flow,” Ponce de León said. “There was a lot of rain coming in during warm-ups, and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s okay. That’s going to be a part of the game. Both teams are going to deal with it.’ I just completely forgot about everything except for myself and my performance.”
In a half when the ’Cats didn’t record a shot on goal, Ponce de León recorded all of his game-high three saves. The Badgers dialed up their attacking pressure, winning five first-half corner kicks, but Ponce de León and the NU defense didn’t relent.
With less than four minutes remaining in the first frame, the goalkeeper made a save straight out of the top drawer, stonewalling a sure-fire shot that seemed certain to strike the net’s top corner.
“He stepped up, and that’s what you need out of a goalkeeper like him,” Payne said. “He’s been in the net all season long, and he gave us the performance we needed to get our first shutout in the league.”
Following the halftime break, the ’Cats shifted into the match’s aggressors, making inroads down both flanks. Just 100 seconds after play resumed, freshman forward Michael Ramirez recorded NU’s lone shot on target, which Wisconsin goalkeeper Matisse Hébert parried away.
Although Payne’s squad fired six of its nine shots in the latter 45 minutes, Hébert wasn’t tested for the game’s remainder as neither group conjured up more than a sniff at goal during the final stretch.
The ’Cats’ appeared on the cusp of a golden opportunity when the official motioned for a VAR review in the 78th minute following graduate student defender Brandon Clagette’s dangerous run into the box. No penalty was awarded.
With conference competition’s conclusion nearing ever closer, the teams — which sit toward the Big Ten’s bottom — settled for a point apiece.
“We take the positives, and we carry them forward for the next three days,” Payne said. “Every game is a one-game season. This was a positive game, it was a complete game. Now we move into the next game knowing we have the momentum and have to keep going.”
NU will return to action Friday night against Michigan, the squad that ended its 2023 campaign in the Big Ten tournament’s initial round.
Payne said the ’Cats can’t afford to dwell on the past result and must keep looking forward.
“We focus on Michigan as a team we need to get points off of,” Payne said. “You can’t change the result from a year ago. Players always keep a little bit in their back pocket, but it’s a new season. We have to focus on executing, and sometimes grudges can be distractions.”
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