Earlier in the college soccer season, I wrote about the NWSL’s Chicago Stars’ move to Evanston for the 2026 season. I remember mentioning how much growth this move can bring to women’s soccer, but also how much influence it can have on soccer culture at the college level. In our case, it’s at the Wildcat level.
Now it’s better than ever to realize this. With NCAA soccer slowly wrapping up, women’s soccer got to work and showed us how important it is to support its young, promising team.
For the first time since 2022, the Wildcats reached the Big Ten Tournament and qualified for the NCAA DI Women’s Soccer Championship. At the beginning of each season, it is easier said than done to dream of these steps, but it was young talent and clean playmaking that made this season’s team so special and admirable.
Regular season
The Wildcats ended the season with a 9-4-8 record, or .619 specifically. Beyond the numbers, games where the Wildcats weren’t favorites on paper characterized this historical run. From August to October, the Wildcats faced a couple of ranked teams on home and away territory, and their ability to put up a fight shows how prosperous this team has become.
Starting strong in September, they pulled an upset win against No. 4 TCU, beginning to show glints of how far this team could actually go. With a first-half goal from second-year forward Kennedy Roesch, the Wildcats imposed dominance, outshooting the Horned Frogs 11-6. This win became the team’s highest-ranked road win in program history, toppling a win against No. 6 Stanford just three years ago.
When a team accomplishes wins like these, its ability to aspire for bigger things grows, and the Wildcats needed a win like this early in the season to understand what it could be in the Big Ten. After this win, the Wildcats held on in a few draws against other ranked teams. On Sep. 12, they tied 1-1 against No. 11 Iowa; on Sep. 25, tied 0-0 against No. 23 Ohio State; and on Oct. 26, tied 1-1 against No. 20 Wisconsin.
These scores were crucial for the team to stay ahead in the 18-team Big Ten standings: that, along with stable player performance.
This year, what made Northwestern stand out was its attacking and goalkeeping prowess.
In attacking, Roesch and fourth-year midfielder Caterina Regazzoni led the Wildcats, who both combined for 15 goals. Roesch, specifically, made exponential strides this season, even standing out in the conference as a whole. With 10 goals and 23 points to cap the season, Roesch finished in the top 5 of the Big Ten when it came to attacking performance.
This earned her unanimous First-Team All-Big Ten honors. With two years left at Northwestern, Roesch will continue to be a fundamental player. She was the Wildcats’ top scorer her freshman season, scoring six goals, and surpassing these numbers her sophomore year shows her consistency and ambition.
But Roesch wasn’t the only noticeable young talent this fall.
In goalkeeping, first-year Nyamma Nelson took the Wildcats by storm. Quickly gaining the trust of head coach Michael Moynihan, she started and played all 21 games, accounting for regular and postseason. For a rigorous team schedule, Nelson knew how to play her role quite well. She recorded 10 clean sheets overall, claiming the program record for most shutouts by a first-year in a single season. Not only that, but she finished fourth in the Big Ten standings for most saves, tallying 75. She even ranked third in most minutes played in the Big Ten, being on the field of play for over 1,890 minutes.
A quality Nelson carried throughout the season was never diminishing her performance on goal, no matter the opponent. It’s only a matter of time before she solidifies her confidence as a starter on the team.
Playoff efforts
The Wildcats continued to make a statement in the three playoff games they participated in. Ranked No. 7 in the Big Ten Tournament, they faced No. 10 USC in the opening round at Purdue University on Oct. 30. In a game that had the potential to go into overtime or even end up sealed by the Trojans, Northwestern surged to victory with an 85th-minute attempt by third-year forward Megan Norkett. USC might have dominated in shots and shots on goal – 17 and 8, respectively – but the Wildcats found a way. Although they went on to lose 1-0 in the quarterfinals against No. 2 Michigan State, a favorite to reach the final, on Nov. 2, Northwestern’s performance wasn’t in vain.
At the NCAA DI Women’s Soccer Championship, hope was the last thing they lost, even at the final whistle. As they faced No. 8 Alabama in the first round on Nov. 14, the Wildcats were ahead in the scoring twice, with goals from Roesch and Norkett, but the Crimson Tide evened things up on both occasions and took the game to overtime. After they decided nothing there, a penalty shootout would be enough to do so, where the home team quickly imposed dominance, sending the Wildcats home after a 3-1 final penalty score.
Still, the Wildcats left with their heads held high.
What’s expected in 2026?
Overall, this run left good feelings for Northwestern’s women’s soccer program, which continues to adapt and accommodate. Head coach Moynihan will enter his 15th season with the Wildcats, and although it might be a bit too early to put the cards on the table for certain, this season is sufficient locker room evidence for how the Wildcats can continue to build towards greater goals for next fall’s calendar.
