Thursday, September 25
Evanston, Ill.
6:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
4-1-6, 0-0-4
0
vs
0
#23 Ohio State
4-1-5, 0-0-4
1
2
F
Ohio St.
0
0
0
Northwestern
0
0
0
Photo by: Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Extends Unbeaten Run in Draw With No. 23 Ohio State, 0-0
9/25/2025 9:07:00 PM | Women's Soccer
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern and No. 23 Ohio State fought to a 0-0 draw on Thursday night at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. The result marked both teams' fourth consecutive tie to start Big Ten play.
The Wildcats (4-1-6, 0-0-4 Big Ten) extended their unbeaten run to eight matches behind four saves from first-year goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson. The Buckeyes (4-1-5, 0-0-4 Big Ten) led the shot tally 9-7, but the visitors couldn't notch their first conference goal of 2025.
The West Linn, Ore., native recorded her sixth shutout of the season on Thursday night — which moves her into a tie for the program's sixth most clean sheets in a campaign, as well as the third most among Wildcat first-years.
Nelson, who recorded two of her four saves in the game's final two minutes, has posted 13 saves in her last three outings.
"At the end of the day, I was just thinking 'Great, how can I help my team move forward?'" Nelson said. "We have so much talent, and it's just that extra step of grittiness that starts from the back [and goes] forward."
In a match with limited shots on target, sophomore forward Kennedy Roesch possessed Northwestern's most menacing effort of the evening, forcing a save out of Ohio State goalkeeper Molly Pritchard in the 59th minute.
Although clearcut chances were at a premium, there was far from a gulf in set piece opportunities. The teams combined for 20 corner kicks — with an even split between the Wildcats and Buckeyes. Many of Northwestern's corners were taken short, which head coach Michael Moynihan called a deliberate tactical shift given Ohio State's personnel.
"They play a really tight zone, their keeper is really good inside the six-yard-box, so we wanted to keep it away from her," Moynihan said. "The way they play their zone, we felt they were vulnerable to that short stuff, which we capitalized on a couple and had some good chances."
Through his team's first four conference tests, Moynihan said he's seen a ton of parity across the league. Now, he said Northwestern must start finding ways to turn draws into victories as the squad fights for a spot in the postseason.
"There are a lot of teams that are really, really close," Moynihan said. " You see good athletes and you see people playing really, really hard. Every game is going to be a fight. It's probably going to go down to the wire, and we have to find a way to get a couple W's."
The Wildcats will return to action on Sunday against No. 18 Penn State at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT, with streaming on B1G+.
The Wildcats (4-1-6, 0-0-4 Big Ten) extended their unbeaten run to eight matches behind four saves from first-year goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson. The Buckeyes (4-1-5, 0-0-4 Big Ten) led the shot tally 9-7, but the visitors couldn't notch their first conference goal of 2025.
The West Linn, Ore., native recorded her sixth shutout of the season on Thursday night — which moves her into a tie for the program's sixth most clean sheets in a campaign, as well as the third most among Wildcat first-years.
Nelson, who recorded two of her four saves in the game's final two minutes, has posted 13 saves in her last three outings.
"At the end of the day, I was just thinking 'Great, how can I help my team move forward?'" Nelson said. "We have so much talent, and it's just that extra step of grittiness that starts from the back [and goes] forward."
In a match with limited shots on target, sophomore forward Kennedy Roesch possessed Northwestern's most menacing effort of the evening, forcing a save out of Ohio State goalkeeper Molly Pritchard in the 59th minute.
Although clearcut chances were at a premium, there was far from a gulf in set piece opportunities. The teams combined for 20 corner kicks — with an even split between the Wildcats and Buckeyes. Many of Northwestern's corners were taken short, which head coach Michael Moynihan called a deliberate tactical shift given Ohio State's personnel.
"They play a really tight zone, their keeper is really good inside the six-yard-box, so we wanted to keep it away from her," Moynihan said. "The way they play their zone, we felt they were vulnerable to that short stuff, which we capitalized on a couple and had some good chances."
Through his team's first four conference tests, Moynihan said he's seen a ton of parity across the league. Now, he said Northwestern must start finding ways to turn draws into victories as the squad fights for a spot in the postseason.
"There are a lot of teams that are really, really close," Moynihan said. " You see good athletes and you see people playing really, really hard. Every game is going to be a fight. It's probably going to go down to the wire, and we have to find a way to get a couple W's."
The Wildcats will return to action on Sunday against No. 18 Penn State at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. CT, with streaming on B1G+.
Team Stats
OSU
NU
Goals
0
0
Shots
9
7
Shots on Goal
4
2
Saves
2
4
Corners
10
10
Fouls
10
4
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
4
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
0
Assists
0
Players Mentioned
GK
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