Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Take A Second Shot at NCAA
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
November 11, 1998
Tonight's 7 p.m. match vs. Evansville may be heard live via the Web at
http://www.evansville.edu/wuevweb/athletics/soccer/info.html
No. 20 Northwestern will play its second-ever NCAA tournament match at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11 at Evansville. Northwestern is making its second NCAA appearance after a near miss in 1997, when the Wildcats lost in double overtime to Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Championship. NU lost 1-0 to Wisconsin in the first round of the 1996 NCAA touranment in its first appearance. Northwestern is one of six Big Ten teams in this year's field.
This marks Evansville's first NCAA tournament appearance. The Purple Aces received an automatic bid after winning their third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championship this season. The overtime win over Illinois State pushed the team's record to 15-5-1, one game better than last season's mark but one game short of their mark two seasons ago. Senior defender Kari Sunderhaus was chosen MVP of the conference tournament.
Evansville's roster includes junior midfielder Krissy Meek, who won the MVC Player of the Year award in each of her first two seasons at Evansville. This season Meek is third on the Purple Aces in scoring, behind junior forward Jennifer Lembeck, and senior forward Shelean Roylance. Meek, Lembeck, Sunderhaus and freshman defender/midfielder Krista McKendree were named to the all-MVC first team.
The Wildcats' only other meeting with Evansville was a scoreless tie 9/4/94. The tie marked quite a coup for the NU program, who went on to finish 3-13-2 that season. The game was the second-ever for the 'Cats, following a 3-2 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee the day before.
The winner of Wednesday's match will travel to Waco, Texas to take on No. 17 Baylor was one of 16 schools among the 48 in the tournament field to receive a first-round bye. On the other half of Northwestern's bracket, James Madison will host Radford. The winner will play at No. 2-seeded Florida.
