EVANSTON — In the final regular-season game of his Michigan career, senior midfielder Alex Wood knocked in a go-ahead goal for the Wolverines early in the second half to take the lead and spark a second-half offensive outburst that led his team to a 4-2 win over Northwestern.

In the 52nd minute of a 1-1 tie, freshman forward Soony Saad stole the ball from a Northwestern (2-3-1 Big Ten, 8-7-2 overall) player and passed to Wood just outside the right side of the box. Wood used some stepovers to freeze the defenders, moved the ball onto his left foot and then blasted a shot into the far corner.

“It was great to see him get that second goal left-footed,” Michigan coach Steve Burns said. “It just kind of turned this game in our favor.”

In a close and physically contested game, Wood’s goal allowed the Wolverines to take control and push offensively. However, Wood’s offense was not his only contribution to the game.

Shortly after sophomore Hamoody Saad scored a controversial free-kick equalizer in the 34th minute, Hamoody took a shove to the back near the touchline and tempers flared. The referee gave Hamoody a yellow card for diving, and he and other Michigan players had some harsh words for both the referee and the Northwestern players involved. Play stopped for a couple minutes and the arguments made ejections a dangerous possibility for the Wolverines.

Wood came over and talked to Hamoody and his teammates to make sure that no red cards were given and the Wolverines could maintain composure.

“Alex Wood is a great captain and you can see even on the field he is a guy that can settle people down,” Burns said. “When we’re starting five or six underclassmen, sometimes they need to be settled down.”

When play resumed, Michigan (4-2-0 Big Ten, 11-4-3 overall) was able to close out the half and head into the locker room with the score tied at 1-1. But coming out to start the second half, Wood knew exactly what the team needed to do to take the upper hand.

“We felt that with the wind at our backs, we could shoot a little more and we gained a lot of confidence from that,” Wood said.

Wood’s goal got things going for the Wolverines, as they scored three goals in 12 minutes to take a commanding 4-1 lead. Wood labeled this game a must-win for Michigan not just for team momentum but also the postseason implications.

Wood explained that winning this game really helped to make the team feel that their spot in the NCAA Tournament was guaranteed. With that burden off their minds, the Wolverines can go into the Big Ten Tournament and look to focus on keeping the momentum going.

With the way this season is going for the Wolverines, Wood’s Michigan career could have a historic ending. Working for four years from reserve all the way up to a starting contributor this season, Wood is along for the ride with one of the most talented Wolverine teams in program history.

“I can’t ask for more, the guys are really coming together now,” Wood said. “Our next goal is winning the first game of Big Tens and then going from there and hopefully winning the trophy.”