Northwestern shoots for Big Ten title

By JAKE EPSTEIN daily senior staffer @jakeepste1n

Junior defender Emma Phillips’ bicycle kick heroics versus Kansas State last August jumpstarted a dream season for Northwestern.

The then-second-year star scored the game winner in a 2-1 victory in the Little Apple, but few foresaw the flying heights coach Michael Moynihan’s team would surpass. Despite being tabbed to finish 11th in the Big Ten, the Wildcats earned a Sweet Sixteen bid and finished the season ranked No. 11 in the United

Soccer Coaches poll. NU amassed a 16-5-2 record and fell to the eventual national champions, California-Los Angeles, in a 2-0 result.

Three graduate student stars return for a fifth season, as defender Danika Austin, forward Aurea del Carmen and midfielder Lily Gilbertson look to make one final mark in Martin Stadium.

Austin will maintain her role as the core of the Cats’ defense, where she’ll be tasked with overseeing buildup play. At the other end, del Carmen and Gilbertson must both make a flurry of goal contributions for NU to cap a strong conference campaign.

The Cats aren’t bereft of young talent either — sophomore midfielder Caterina Regazonni, the 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, became a rising star for NU from the moment she stepped onto the collegiate stage. Now, Regazzoni looks to enter the conversation of the conference’s elite.

Additionally, graduate transfer Jaelyn Eisenhart will arrive in Evanston via Southern California with both backline and midfield experience.

Although the Cats hold onto many of their veteran starters, midfielder Rowan Lapi’s transfer to Penn State leaves a significant void in the spine of the field. Moynihan’s system requires a strong defensive midfielder to thwart opposing counterattacks and advance the ball to the flanks, meaning a new contributor must slot into the number-six role and fill Lapi’s All-Big Ten sized shoes.

With a conference title in the back of its mind, NU will look to fire on all cylinders once the season officially kicks off this August. jacobepstein2026@u.northwestern.edu