Michigan dominated by Northwestern in Big Ten Tournament semifinal

With 12 seconds left in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal matchup, sophomore attacker Jill Smith cut through the center to score the game’s final goal. But even as Smith and the No. 16 Michigan women’s lacrosse team pushed to the very end, it wasn’t enough. The Wolverines continue to have a dark cloud hanging over their head: No. 1 Northwestern.

On Thursday, Michigan faced the Wildcats for the second time this season — and in similar fashion, the Wolverines (11-7 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) were overpowered as they fell to the relentless Northwestern (16-1, 6-0), 18-11. Despite the continuous shots taken by Michigan, every goal scored was answered by two or more from the Wildcats. 

“We knew we’d have to put up a really solid effort to beat them,” Wolverines coach Hannah Nielsen said. “I thought we fought hard to the end when things were going our way and weren’t going our way.”

The first quarter set the tone for Michigan, immediately starting from behind and playing catch up to Northwestern. The Wildcats opened on a three-goal streak before graduate attacker Kaley Thompson ripped a ball to score and end the Wolverines’ early scoring drought. 

Just 30 seconds later, though, Northwestern scored again. Heading into the second quarter, Michigan faced a four-goal deficit as the Wolverines struggled to even gain possession. 

Possession starts at the draw controls, where the Wolverines failed to find consistent success. Overall, they took 13 of 32 draw controls and only three in the first quarter alongside three ground balls.

“I think the best form of defense against Northwestern is to have the ball in your stick,” Nielsen said. “The possession ended up being a massive part of the game. I think it told the story.”

That story may have ended bitterly for Michigan, but the Wolverines did find their peak later on in the game. 

The second quarter saw more life from Michigan. Smith was able to break through and score at the start of the period, sparking life in the Wolverines’ offense. Sophomore attacker Kaylee Dyer converted for a free position goal shortly after. Without time for Northwestern to respond, halftime gave Michigan a chance to turn the game around.

And in the third quarter, the Wolverines came on the field as a different team.

Converting with woman-up chances has been a consistent struggle throughout the season for Michigan, costing them games as those missed opportunities added up. However, yellow cards on the Wildcats lit the match for the Wolverines on offense. Smith and junior attacker Caroline Davis both provided goals through these chances, trimming Northwestern’s lead to 11-8.

Only down two goals to the top-ranked team in the country, the Wolverines had a chance to change their history. 

“When we had (the ball), we were confident with what we could do with it,” Nielsen said. 

However, the story quickly turned sour for Michigan in the fourth quarter. 

Smith and Thompson both earned their third goals of the game to start the quarter down 13-10 after the Wildcats also tacked on two more. However, as it had done throughout the entire game, Northwestern continued to counter Michigan’s efforts with goals of its own. 

The Wolverines became unrecognizable compared to their second and third-quarter play. With dropped passes and the issue of yellow cards, it looked like Michigan became its own enemy —- similar to its first matchup against the Wildcats. 

And when Smith scored the final goal of the game, the Wolverines’ chances were missed once again to Northwestern, and the program will continue to fight for its first win against the Wildcats. 

“One of the assistant coaches said it best in the locker room afterwards,” Nielsen said. “The best preparation you could possibly have going into the first round of the (NCAA) Tournament is playing the number one team in the country and playing them well.”

Northwestern took out Michigan in this year’s Big Ten Tournament, and the Wildcats overpowered the Wolverines in the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. Repeating history once again, Michigan was placed in Northwestern’s region for this year’s upcoming NCAA Tournament. With Central Michigan as the first matchup, the Wolverines are one game away from facing the Wildcats for the third time this year.

Playing the best team in the country could help Michigan prepare, but beating them continues to be a feat the Wolverines have yet to conquer.