For a Northwestern squad that recorded just one conference in its last campaign and hasn\u2019t had a winning Big Ten slate since 2022, there\u2019s one thing to hope for: young talent to breathe life into a team that desperately needs it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In its season-opening 2-0 win at Loyola Thursday night, the Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) proved they might have just that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the first minutes of a new season hummed on with few scoring chances for either side, two players coming off the bench for their first-career minutes gave the visitors the offensive jumpstart they needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the game\u2019s 40th minute, NU recorded its first goal of the season when freshman midfielder Selma Sol Sigurjonsdottir drilled a kick from the corner and sophomore forward Mary Stroebel directed it to the back of Loyola\u2019s net off her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though Stroebel was on the \u2019Cats\u2019 roster last season, she didn\u2019t play in a game \u2014 let alone record a goal \u2014 until Thursday\u2019s opener due to back-to-back ACL injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHer work speaks for itself,\u201d sophomore forward Kennedy Roesch, who led the team in goals last season, said of her teammate\u2019s performance. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen her on the practice ground, just day in and day out scoring goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, downfield, Nyamma Nelson \u2014 coach Michael Moynihan\u2019s freshly minted goalkeeper and the first freshman to start a season in goal since 2022 \u2014 stood firm between the pipes through the game\u2019s opening half, recording her first two collegiate saves as her teammates secured an early lead.<\/p>\n
Before the \u2019Cats led, just shy of the game\u2019s 22nd minute, Loyola forward Meghan Economos took advantage of a series of NU players tripping in front of Loyola\u2019s goal in quick succession.<\/p>\n
Blazing across the full length of the field a half-step ahead of the \u2019Cats\u2019 closest defender, Economos passed the ball off to her teammate, Ramblers\u2019 midfielder Maggie Schmidt, who rattled off the game\u2019s first shot on goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But after learning that she\u2019d start the game just a day prior, Nelson wasn\u2019t willing to let a goal scored against her so early in her career. She crept out just steps in front of the net and easily made the save.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat first save, I kind of blacked out,\u201d Nelson said postgame. \u201cAll the sounds kind of went quiet, but I was really happy that I was able to make that save and keep us in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Less than 10 seconds later, the previous play\u2019s passer launched a shot of her own, but it sailed way wide, off target.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, Econonos came rushing down the field again, but this time NU defenders stopped her in shallow friendly territory, regained possession and delivered a stronger defensive performance in the subsequent minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moynihan attributed his team\u2019s success in part to their willingness to show up to campus and start practicing together without coaches before the team officially got rolling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just take one game at a time, and it\u2019s always good to get off the mark with a win,\u201d Moynihan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout the game, Nelson never lost her poise, and the backline ensured that by allowing just one shot on goal in the second half.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But newcomers weren\u2019t the only ones to make a splash as NU commenced its season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Late into the second half, Roesch scored after an assist from sophomore midfielder Alex Fallon. In a dominant freshman campaign last year, Roesch scored six goals, while no other player had more than three.<\/p>\n
On the heels of her own first-year successes, Roesch said she was thrilled to see such promising performances from her freshman teammates in Thursday\u2019s contest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re this good right now when we\u2019re young, imagine what we can be like when we\u2019re all juniors and seniors,\u201d Roesch said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Email: [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n X: @AudreyPachuta<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Related Stories:<\/p>\n \u2014 Emma Phillips prepares for Icelandic pro debut<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Northwestern falls to Illinois in season finale, loses 4-1 Sunday<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Northwestern drops penultimate game to No. 21 Michigan State 1-0<\/a><\/p>\n