By Braden Pomerantz, Northwestern Athletics

In 2011 – the year before head coach Michael Moynihan took over the Northwestern women's soccer program – the squad ranked dead last in the Big Ten with just a single win the entire season.

Now, five years later, the Wildcats have the opportunity to call themselves champions.

On Wednesday, Oct. 26, NU will host Illinois for a chance to secure at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title with a win. Northwestern is currently tied with Minnesota and Penn State at the top of the conference standings with a league mark of 6-1-3 and 13-1-3 overall.

Prior to taking over at the helm of the NU women's soccer program, Moynihan spent 19 years at UW-Milwaukee, including 15 as the head coach. Moynihan is no stranger to post-season play, claiming 13 Horizon League Championships, eight Horizon League Tournament titles and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. After extreme success with the Panthers, he inherited a struggling Northwestern program in 2012 that went 42-62-13 overall and just 20-35-6 in the Big Ten the previous six years.

Northwestern had a glimpse of that level of competition after experiencing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998 just last year. In addition, Moynihan led a 2015 squad that saw the most shutouts in a single season (12) in program history, fewest goals allowed in a season (15) and most Big Ten wins in a single year with seven.

But now, the Wildcats want more.

"Each year we have set a new goal and each year we have achieved it," junior goalkeeper Lauren Clem said. "We are constantly growing as a team and building off of the success from the year before, which is why having the opportunity to compete for a Big Ten regular-season title is so rewarding."

With one more regular-season game in 2016 and postseason play ahead, the Wildcats have already surpassed many of those program marks, recording a program-best 13 shutouts and allowing just five goals through 17 games.

Kaitlin Moore, a senior who makes up one-sixth of Moynihan's first recruiting class, says the success of the team originates from the culture that her head coach has implemented during his tenure in Evanston.

"I am so proud of the way we have developed over the past four years," Moore said. "I have seen a shift in mentality that has brought a new confidence and culture to our team. This has stemmed from the coaches and the level of success they demand from us as well as the effort and energy that my teammates are willing to give each and every day."

While Wednesday's game will have a special meaning for Moore and the other five seniors, the entire Northwestern squad knows the impact this game will have on the program.

"Being able to compete for the Big Ten regular-season title is one of the most exciting opportunities of my life," junior defensive midfielder Kassidy Gorman said. "Our team has worked so hard for this over the years and it's an amazing feeling to be a part of something so monumental for our program."

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Women's Soccer Has Unprecedented Opportunity to Win Big Ten Title

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Players Mentioned

Lauren Clem

Kassidy Gorman

Kaitlin Moore

Northwestern University Athletics

Women's Soccer Has Unprecedented Opportunity to Win Big Ten Title

••••••

Players Mentioned

Lauren Clem

Kassidy Gorman

Kaitlin Moore

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