Northwestern University Athletics
The 2000 Men's Soccer Season in Review
1/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Jan. 3, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. - The 2000 season was one of `live and learn' for the Northwestern men's soccer team. With a team built on a mixture of veterans and youth, NU finished with a disappointing 0-17-1 record and a last place finish in the Big Ten. Conference match-ups proved to be challenging for NU, as they were outscored 28-7 by conference foes. Non-conference action showed improvement as NU managed a scoreless tie against Lewis and lost eight of the 10 contests by a mere goal.
NU began the season by dropping games to Eastern Illinois, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Drake. The Wildcat defense showed some life as they opened up their conference schedule with a first half shutout of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Unfortunately, OSU was able to knock in two goals in the second half and hand NU its first conference loss of the season. The Wildcats dropped the next three matches to Marquette, Northern Illinois and Wisconsin-Green Bay by one goal. Returning to conference action, NU was defeated by Michigan State, 6-2.
The second half of the season would follow the pattern set by the first eight games - hard fought matches, lost by one goal. NU's best chance at a victory came against Oral Roberts, where they fell 2-1 in a heartbreaking double overtime contest. The Wildcats out-shot the Golden Eagles 23-12, but were unable to convert. Senior Chris Berlin earned his first solo shut-out against Lewis on October 25. He stopped five shots on goal and helped the Wildcats halt a 15-match losing streak, dating back to last season's conference tournament. NU rounded out the regular season with a pair of 2-1 losses to Michigan and Wisconsin.
NU would end its 2000 campaign with a 6-0 loss to second-seeded Michigan State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
Senior forward Jun Kim capped off his career at Northwestern with his first All-Big Ten honor. Kim started all 18 matches this season and led the Wildcat offense for the second straight season. He compiled a career-high six goals and racked up 12 points. He was also among the top 10 leaders for goals and points in the conference.
