The Iowa soccer team entered the day 2 points back of Indiana for the eighth and final Big Ten tournament qualifying spot but couldn’t clinch the berth.

The Hawkeyes (11-5-3, 2-5-3 Big Ten) once again struggled to find an offensive presence in a 1-0 upset loss to Northwestern (6-10-2, 2-8-0) at Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill., on Sunday.

The teams played to a standstill for 85:00 of play until Wildcat sophomore midfielder Niki Sebo scored the lone goal at 85:44, beating Iowa freshman goalie Hannah Clark with a header.

The visitor’s last-ditch effort to tie the game fell short, and the devastating tumble to a 10-loss team was complete.

Junior forward Ashley Catrell led the bottled-up Iowa attack with four shots, two of which hit the target. The Black and Gold offense actually outshot Northwestern, 12-11, but Wildcats made more shots on goal with a 5-3 advantage.

Hawkeye sophomore forward Cloe Lacasse, defenseman Melanie Pickert, and junior defenseman Alex Melin combined to take 6 shots but hit the net only once. Sebo meanwhile, was able to match that feat alone late in the game for Northwestern.

To advance to the Big Ten tournament for the second-straight year, the Iowa must defeat Wisconsin at home and Indiana has to lose to Ohio State in Bloomington on Friday. A tie or victory by the Hoosiers will guarantee Saturday’s contest is the Hawkeyes’ last of 2012 and cement perhaps one of the biggest disappointments in program history.