BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. – The Northwestern Wildcats (4-1-0) dazzled in their debut at Toyota Park, topping the St. Louis Billikens (2-2-0) on Friday night, 2-1.
Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Clem was dominant throughout the match, only allowing one goal in the final seconds of the match. She recorded six saves in the Wildcats' effort.
Northwestern took the lead early in the first half with a shot by Niki Sebo that floated above the St. Louis goalkeeper's outstretched arms at the 9-minute mark — her first of the season and the eighth goal of her career.
Shot counts were close after the first half, with the Wildcats narrowly edging the Billikens 8-7, but Northwestern entered the break with a 1-0 advantage.
Chicago's Big Ten Team created a quality chance early in the second half, but junior forward Addie Steiner's shot was deflected by SLU defender Kacey Bright. A second chance presented itself, as the ball trickled into the feet of sophomore defender Nikia Smith whose shot went just high of the net.
The #B1GCats added an insurance goal in the 64th minute with an unassisted goal by sophomore forward Michelle Manning who drained a shot from inside the area to the lower far post.
St. Louis scored its only goal of the game with seven seconds left in regulation as senior forward Livi Logan-Wood slipped a shot right behind Clem at a sharp angle from inside the box.
Northwestern is back in action on Sunday, Sept. 6 at Toyota Park, as they host Mizzou. Game-time is at 6:30 p.m., directly following the NWSL matchup of the Houston Dash and the Chicago Red Stars. Fans are invited to attend the professional women's soccer match and can purchase reduced-priced tickets from ChicagoRedStars.com with the discount code "WILDCATS."
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Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Clem was dominant throughout the match, only allowing one goal in the final seconds of the match. She recorded six saves in the Wildcats' effort.
Northwestern took the lead early in the first half with a shot by Niki Sebo that floated above the St. Louis goalkeeper's outstretched arms at the 9-minute mark — her first of the season and the eighth goal of her career.
Shot counts were close after the first half, with the Wildcats narrowly edging the Billikens 8-7, but Northwestern entered the break with a 1-0 advantage.
Chicago's Big Ten Team created a quality chance early in the second half, but junior forward Addie Steiner's shot was deflected by SLU defender Kacey Bright. A second chance presented itself, as the ball trickled into the feet of sophomore defender Nikia Smith whose shot went just high of the net.
The #B1GCats added an insurance goal in the 64th minute with an unassisted goal by sophomore forward Michelle Manning who drained a shot from inside the area to the lower far post.
St. Louis scored its only goal of the game with seven seconds left in regulation as senior forward Livi Logan-Wood slipped a shot right behind Clem at a sharp angle from inside the box.
Northwestern is back in action on Sunday, Sept. 6 at Toyota Park, as they host Mizzou. Game-time is at 6:30 p.m., directly following the NWSL matchup of the Houston Dash and the Chicago Red Stars. Fans are invited to attend the professional women's soccer match and can purchase reduced-priced tickets from ChicagoRedStars.com with the discount code "WILDCATS."
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