Meghan Small fired four of NU's ten shots Saturday, but the Wildcats came up short against Southwest Missouri State.Meghan Small fired four of NU's ten shots Saturday, but the Wildcats came up short against Southwest Missouri State.

Northwestern Drops Season Finale to SW Missouri, 1-0

Oct. 30, 2004

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IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Despite outshooting Southwest Missouri State, 10-3, and earning a 10-1 advantage in penalty corners, Northwestern could not find the back of the cage in losing its season finale Saturday, 1-0, in a neutral site contest in Iowa City.

The Wildcats surrendered an early goal to SMS (10-6) on a penalty corner in the second minute, and spent the rest of the match fighting hard for an equalizer which did not materialize.

NU help a 7-1 advantage in shots and a 4-0 edge in penalty corners in the second half, but SMS goalkeeper Jessie Lininger made five saves to hold Northwestern scoreless.

Sophomore Meghan Small (Macungie, Pa./Moravian Academy) created the most scoring opportunities for the Wildcats, firing four of NU's 10 shots.

Northwestern finishes the regular season with a 7-12 overall record. The Wildcats end the year in a three-way tie for fifth place in the Big Ten with a 1-5 mark.

Northwestern will enter next week's Big Ten Tournament in Evanston as the No. 7 seed after the tie was broken in the third tiebreaker, goal differential. The Wildcats will face No. 2 seed Iowa at 10 a.m. Friday. NU has played the Hawkeyes twice already this season, splitting the pair of matches.