Northwestern University Athletics
Men's Soccer Back on the Road This Weekend
9/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 20, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. - To say that the Northwestern men's soccer team (0-2-2, 0-1-0) returns to action this weekend with a pair of road games this weekend is an understatement. It looks more like an odyssey.
The 'Cats will travel to Green Bay, Wis., on Friday for a scheduled 7 p.m. kick off against the Phoenix (0-5-0, 0-0-0) as part of a Homecoming doubleheader with the UWGB women's team. NU then makes its way through the Midwest all the way to Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sunday to face the Wolverines (3-1-0, 0-1-0). It will be the Wildcats' second conference game this season.
The series versus UW-Green Bay is all even at 5-5-1. The two teams met last year in Evanston, with the Phoenix' Nick Lessard scoring the lone goal of the contest in the 56th minute which gave UWGB a 1-0 win.
The match with Michigan - a second-year varsity program - will be the 10th for Northwestern, with the Wolverines holding a slight 4-3-2 advantage. Last season, Michigan won a 2-1 thriller in double overtime at Lakeside Field. The 'Cats went up first when Dan Doman knocked in a free ball from 10 yards out in the first half. That lead held until Michigan's Will Purdy slipped a rebound past NU goalie Chris Berlin in the 86th minute. The score remained even deep in the second overtime, with both teams increasing the offensive pressure, before Ryan Yoder fired a loose ball into the Wildcat net with two minutes left on the clock to give Michigan its first-ever Big Ten victory.
"This is a big weekend for us on the road," said Wildcat head coach Tim Lenahan. "Many of our young guys are starting to develop, and this weekend will give them an opportunity to see some quality time on the field."
The Wildcats' last action was way back on September 7, when the Wildcats drew 1-1 with Drake at Lakeside Field. Down one against the Bulldogs to begin the second half, senior Grant Trimble (Olathe, Kan./North) found sophomore Mike Trudell (Wayzata, Minn./Orono) at midfield. Trudell broke away from the crowd and scored his first goal of the season - and the first of his career - to even the score at one apiece.
Trimble and Trudell lead NU's scorers with a goal and assist apiece. Trudell found Trimble at the top of the box for the 'Cats first goal of the season in the opener against Loyola.
After three weeks of play, junior Steve Jedlinski (Palatine, Ill./Fremd) is sixth in the conference with two assist in four games, doubling his career total. Freshman goalkeeper Ryan Pederson (Westerville, Ohio/North) leads the Big Ten in saves with 34 (8.50 average).
No decision has been made regarding last week's match at Valparaiso, which was postponed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the East Coast.
