Moynihan Earns 300th Win, Northwestern Bulldozes Oakland 7-0

Thursday, August 24

Evanston, Ill.

8 p.m. CT

Northwestern

2-0-1, 0-0-0

Oakland

1-2-0, 0-0-0

Oakland

Northwestern

Moynihan Earns 300th Win, Northwestern Bulldozes Oakland 7-0

8/25/2023 1:51:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

EVANSTON, Ill. — Michael Moynihan was entirely unaware of the milestone he had just reached.

A six-goal second-half output saw Northwestern dismantle Oakland 7-0, securing the team's second victory of the season and its third consecutive shutout. Coming off the heels of a 0-0 draw to Kansas State last Sunday, in which Moynihan's squad outshot the visitors 18-3 and dominated possession for much of the game, the blowout victory Thursday night was a welcomed sight.

The Wildcats' triumph also marked the 300th win of Moynihan's career. He had no idea.

As the team celebrated an emphatic victory, Moynihan began to walk over to the officials standing near midfield. But before he could reach them, Danika Austin and Aurea del Carmen, two fifth-year players at the core of the team's success, doused him in Gatorade.

"I didn't know there was anything to throw Gatorade for," Moynihan said with a chuckle postgame. "I had no idea. It was a nice surprise."

Despite the scoreline, the first half was anything but an offensive beatdown from Northwestern. Through the opening 25 minutes, four different 'Cats attempted five shots, but only two forced saves from the Oakland goalkeeper. Northwestern eventually got its breakthrough from junior defender Emma Phillips in the 27th minute.

Six black jerseys crowded the 18-yard box as senior midfielder Meg Boade, standing near the Big Ten logo on the field at Martin Stadium, drove a ball to the back post. Boade's delivery found Phillips, whose leaping header bounced into the back of the net for the game's opening goal.

The 'Cats carried a 1-0 advantage into halftime, holding Oakland without a single shot attempt. Despite firing off nine shots, Northwestern put just four on frame, with Phillips' header the only tally.

At the intermission, Moynihan said he and the coaching staff made a small tweak in the center of the park to free things up for his midfield quartet.

"We made a little bit of an adjustment in the midfield and it really opened things up," Moynihan said. "The way (Oakland) was playing in the first half, Meg (Boade) and Josie (Aulicino) were having a harder time getting the ball. Once we kind of tweaked what we were doing with Holland (Carey) and Caterina (Regazzoni), it totally opened those other two up."

Moynihan said Aulicino and Boade "lit it up" in the second half, which may have been an understatement.

Eight minutes into the second half, senior forward Ingrid Falls combined with Aulicino down the right wing. Aulicino whipped a ball near post, connecting with senior forward Ella Hase for Northwestern's second score. The floodgates were officially open.

Not even two minutes ticked off the clock before the 'Cats found their third tally, courtesy of a Boade-Aulicino combination. In the 63rd minute, del Carmen got on the scoresheet on a poacher's rebound. Aulicino bagged two more goals in quick succession in the 66th and 69th minutes for good measure.

Northwestern's offensive flurry was halted by the rehydration break midway through the second half. In 24 minutes of action, the 'Cats had stretched a one-goal advantage to six, propelled by Aulicino's hat trick.

The Northville, Michigan, native's career-high three-goal effort was the program's first hat trick since 2014. Aulicino also became the seventh different 'Cat to record three or more goals in a game. Despite the historic day, Aulicino redirected the spotlight to her teammates postgame.

"I scored three (goals), but it was a team effort," Aulicino said. "I can't take credit for that; my teammates all helped with that."

Aulicino said in the buildup to Thursday's clash the team realized it didn't have to change much from the Kansas State game; the 'Cats just had to convert their chances. They also received some extra motivation after being dropped out of the United Soccer Coaches Poll Top 25 at the beginning of the week.

"We weren't top 25 this week, but we know what we're capable of (and) last week wasn't a representation of us, so we just wanted to have fun," she said.

Gallery: (8-24-2023) Women's Soccer vs. Oakland

Senior forward Bridget Mitchell tallied Northwestern's final score of the game in the 72nd minute.

When the horn sounded, the 'Cats had recorded seven goals from five different goalscorers — the highest single-game total in the Moynihan era and the most in a game since 2006. Northwestern also shut out its opponent for a third-straight game, marking the first time since 2015 that the 'Cats have opened a season holding opponents scoreless in three consecutive matches.

While the seven-goal output will draw the bulk of the attention, Aulicino praised the backline's dominance.

"Our backline is insane," she said. "Our distribution out of the back, their ability to keep the ball, their ability to win the ball and their communication — because they can see everything — just leads us all."

Moynihan was equally pleased with the defense's performance, though one stat bugged him.

"We want to get a shutout, so that's a good sign," he said. "I'd prefer if there were no shots. I don't know if that's being greedy, but our defense was great and I thought we moved the ball really well. We just played really pretty soccer."

It's hard for soccer to get much prettier — and dominant — than the six-goal second-half display Northwestern unleashed on Thursday.

Holding a whiteboard and drenched in Gatorade, Moynihan reflected on the significance of the milestone and his outlook for the future.

"I've been coaching a long time," Moynihan said. "It's fun, I just love the game. I love helping the kids achieve something and work together as a unit. Hopefully there's 300 more (wins). I have no idea when it'll stop, but I just do it because I love it."