Men’s Soccer: Late comeback leads to 2-1 defeat against Washington

Northwestern lost to No. 14 Washington following back-to-back goals late in the second half.

Northwestern dropped another away game, with back-to-back late goals propelling No. 14 Washington to the win.

The Wildcats (5-5-1, 2-3 Big Ten) could not mount a response in the final 10 minutes of the game, losing 2-1 in Seattle on Saturday.

The loss marks the second straight on the road for NU, while the Huskies (7-3-2, 4-1-1 Big Ten), the reigning national champions, have improved on their impressive conference record.

The sides were evenly matched with 12 shot attempts each, as the ’Cats put four on goal compared to Washington’s five. NU tied a record-high in shots taken against the Huskies in conference play, as the Washington defense averages seven shots allowed per game.

The ’Cats kicked off their offensive onslaught early on, taking two shots before the 15 minute mark. Two minutes later, sophomore forward Aaron O’Reilly scored NU’s sole goal via a penalty kick awarded for a handball off a header from senior defender Bryant Mayer.

The Huskies committed 12 fouls in the first half and only had three shot attempts to give NU a one-nil advantage at halftime.

First-year defender Josue Pfrommer attempted a header in the 53rd minute, but Washington goalkeeper Noah Newman denied the effort to prevent a 2-0 advantage for the ’Cats.

The tides turned against NU in the 80th minute when midfielder Osato Enabulele netted the equalizer for Washington.

Less than a minute later, the nation’s leading goal scorer, midfielder Zach Ramsey, added another to give the Huskies a 2-1 advantage and complete the comeback.

NU will look to capitalize on its home advantage Friday as it returns to Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium to face Penn State.

— Men’s Soccer: Northwestern falls 4-0 to Rutgers in underwhelming away defeat

— Men’s Soccer: Northwestern’s defense shines in 1-0 win against Michigan

— Men’s Soccer: Northwestern takes down No. 2 Maryland in home blowout