ST. PAUL, Minn. - After lying dormant since November, Reynolds Field came alive in the University of Northwestern Women's Soccer home opener against Bethel University on Tuesday afternoon. After a back-and-forth battle, the Eagles scored late to take the 1-0 lead and ultimately the win for the first time in 23 years against the Royals. The Eagles ended the 19-game winless streak to open the 2026 season.
With 50% possession, the game could have gone either way. UNW finished with 13 shots and seven attempts on target, while Bethel finished with 15 shots and six on target.
The Eagles had four shots in the opening half, with Ada Meehan (Waconia, Minn./Homeschool) offering the closest attempt. She battled two defenders and found the space she needed to get a shot off into the hands of the keeper.
In the second half, the Northwestern offense found some momentum and collected nine shots in the half. Marie Kendall (Dakar, Senegal/Dakar Academy) received the ball in a dangerous position after a long throw-in by Mercy Erickson (Lewiston, Minn./Homeschool). Erickson's ball found the Meehan sisters before Ada crossed it to Kendall for the shot. Just a few minutes later, Kendall took a free kick from the top of the box and placed it inches away from a top-10 goal. Her shot ricocheted off the corner of the goalpost and crossbar, making for an exciting challenge on goal.
Then, with 17 minutes left, Meehan intercepted the ball off a Bethel header near the top of the box. After controlling the ball and shaking off a defender, she calmly buried it in the side netting. Not only did this goal mark Meehan's first collegiate goal and the first goal of the 2026 season, but it also secured the second win over Bethel in program history.
Meehan delivered an exceptional rookie opener with the goal, five shots, and four shots on target. Kendall, last season's UMAC Rookie of the Year, finished with six shots and three on target. Naomi Meehan (Waconia, Minn./Homeschool) and Britta Holter (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) each had one shot as well. Sam Hansen (Cottage Grove, Minn./New Life Academy) finished with a clean sheet and six saves in her 90 minutes.
The Eagles will return to the home turf on September 9 at 7:00 PM, taking on the Cobbers of Concordia College.
