EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern picked up its fifth clean sheet of the season and extended its unbeaten streak in home conference games to six with a 1-0 win over Oregon on Thursday night at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
The Wildcats (4-4-3, 2-1-1 Big Ten) struck in the 23rd minute from junior defender/midfielder Ava Goodin on a corner kick for the game’s lone goal.Â
Northwestern threatened early and nearly had the opener in the 23rd minute, with Goodin making a run deep into the attacking third and firing a shot on target, but Oregon goalkeeper Gray Willson made the save. Senior forward Keira Wagner corralled the rebound and put it back on frame, but Willson was again up to the task, deflecting the attempt out for a corner kick.
The ‘Cats broke through on the ensuing corner kick; Goodin rose to meet senior forward Megan Norkett’s service and headed it home for the opener. The goal marks the first of Goodin’s career. Norkett’s assist gives her back-to-back games with a helper, after the Naperville, Ill., product recorded her first assist of the season in a 2-2 draw at Minnesota on Sep. 20.
Goodin grabs the first! 💥 pic.twitter.com/gN3Agoeqn7
— Northwestern Soccer (@NUWSoccer) September 25, 2026
The Ducks (6-2-2, 1-2-1 Big Ten) outshot the Wildcats 13-9, but were able to steer just four on target, compared to five for NU.
Sophomore goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson helped seal the victory, making four stops, including an 88th-minute punch of a would-be equalizer that kept the Ducks off the board. The West Linn, Ore., native collected four saves in her fourth clean sheet of the season and the 14th of her career.Â
The victory marked Northwestern’s first in the series against the Ducks, with both sides playing to a scoreless draw in the lone prior meeting last season in Eugene. Northwestern’s win extends its unbeaten streak in home Big Ten games to six (5-0-1), dating back to Sep. 5, 2025. All four Wildcat wins on the season have come from 1-0 scorelines.
SIX-GAME UNBEATEN STREAK IN B1G HOME GAMES
Northwestern will stay home to take on Indiana on Sunday, Sep. 27. Kickoff from Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. CT on B1G+.