Northwestern Women’s Soccer falls to Illinois in their fifth straight loss

Traveling to Champaign last night, Northwestern (5-8-3, 3-6-1 B1G) hoped to end their four-game losing streak in hopes to keep its Big Ten Tournament chances alive.

And while the ‘Cats played a great game for about 70 minutes, soccer games are 90.

Against their in-state rival, the Wildcats had an evenly matched game against Illinois (5-4-7, 2-4-4 B1G). On paper, a winnable game for the ‘Cats, especially considering the conference tournament implications at play.

NU and Illinois shared a palpable hunger for a win, as neither team had claimed a victory since September 27, when the Wildcats beat Indiana and the Illini beat Oregon. All 22 players on the pitch share the same goal: getting their squad off the struggle bus.

The Wildcats came out hot, applying the pressure on the Fighting Illini from the jump and forcing two corners within the first 10 minutes.

In the 17th minute, Camryn Freeman found herself with open space in the midfield and tapped the ball to Alex Fallon on her left. After breaking into the 18, Fallon centered for Liz Cardwell. A tap-in at point-blank range followed, putting Northwestern up 1-0.

Not only was this an early win for the ‘Cats, but it was also the first career goal the sophomore.

The purple & white kept that momentum with them for the remainder of the first half, keeping Illinois off the board. 

Coming out of halftime, the ‘Cats knew they had to play a near-perfect game to come out with the win. For the first 15 minutes of the second half, it remained 1-0. Both teams were playing good soccer and matching each other’s play styles giving the fans in attendance a close game.

However, that changed in the 70th minute when Illinois scored the equalizer off a corner kick from fifth-year Ashley Stellon. The corner was sent to the back post, perfect placement for senior defender Kylie Marschall’s header. The goal by Marschall was her first goal since 2024, when she was still playing in the ACC with Virginia Tech.

The tie would only last about three minutes, as the Fighting Illini would fight their way downfield again and score. Gabriella Garcia-Terrell capitalized off a rare mistake from Naomi Lofthouse, taking the ball from her at the top of the box to set up a chip shot into the bottom-right corner of the net.

Having to now fight from underneath, the Wildcats needed a spark to get back into the win column. They got the opposite.

10 minutes after the second goal by the Fighting Illini, senior forward Hedda Ornberg got them their third, giving them a 3-1 lead over the ‘Cats in the 83rd minute.

The Wildcats were not ready to start the buses with valuable time left on the clock. First-year forward Camryn Freeman was the beneficiary of a stellar ball from Holland Carey, leading her and Keira Wagner past the Illini back line and into the box. Wagner set the table for Freeman’s one-timer in the 87th minute — her fourth goal in conference play, which marks the most for a freshman in the Big Ten.

But that would be all. The clock hit ’90 without another union between a Northwestern shot and the Illinois net, ending this one in a 3-2 loss.

Simply put, the ‘Cats are in desperate need of a win, losing autonomy over their placement in the Big Ten Tournament as the losses pile up. They’ll be back in action this Sunday, October 25, against No. 22 Purdue on Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Live coverage begins at 5 p.m. CDT on the Big Ten Network.