EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 8 Northwestern closed out its regular season by sneaking past Kent State for a 1-0 Senior Day victory Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Field.
Dominique Masters' team-leading 12th goal of the season off a penalty corner with just over 12 minutes remaining in regulation was the difference.
Playing in her final home game, four-year starter Maddy Carpenter recorded her fourth shutout of the season and 17th of her career in goal for the Wildcats. Carpenter, Kelsey Thompson and Kristin Wirtz each go the starting nod after being honored in pregame ceremonies.
On the heels of a tough 2-1 loss at fifth-ranked Penn State in the Big Ten finale on Friday, the Wildcats had a difficult time getting things going against the Golden Flashes. Kent State came into Sunday's matchup after dropping a 2-1 decision at Cental Michigan on Saturday that forced them to share the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular-season title with the Chippewas.
Kent State earned the first two penalty corners of the match but the Wildcats were able to hold the guests at bay. NU managed to create a few opportunities on counter attacks, but the Golden Flashes' defense prevented the Wildcats from consistently mounting much of a charge.
Northwestern earned its first penalty corner 17 minutes in, but Isabel Flens had consecutive shots saved by goalkeeper Andrea Rinehart. However, the defenses were so dominant that neither team recorded a shot over a stretch of 15 minutes late in the half.
A charge late in the stanza netted the 'Cats two penalty corners in the final minute of the period, including one as time expired, but Northwestern was unable to get off a shot in either instance.
To open the second half, Northwestern earned three corners in the first five minutes of the half, but three saves by Rinehart brought her total to seven for the match and kept the teams knotted 0-0.
With time starting to wind down in regulation, the Wildcats finally got the goal they needed. After a charging Carpenter came out to deny a shot by Silvia Figa Malgosa, NU earned its eighth penalty corner of the match just seconds later. Charlotte Martin made the stop and fed a pass to Masters who made a move to her right and fired a bouncing shot by Reinhart and into the cage.
The single tally proved to be enough as the Wildcats finished with a 10-6 edge in shots, including allowing only two in the second half. Northwestern also had an 8-2 advantage in penalty corners.
The Wildcats will be the No. 3 seed for next week's Big Ten tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. NU tied Michigan for second place in the conference, but the Wolverines earned the No. 2 seed thanks to a head-to-head win over the 'Cats. NU opens tournament play at 4:30 p.m. Central time Thursday against sixth-seeded Iowa. The Wildcats defeated Iowa 3-1 Oct. 5 in Iowa City during their regular-season matchup.