Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Host DePaul This Weekend
9/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 12, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - By the time the Northwestern women's soccer team takes to the field for Sunday's match against DePaul, a full week will have passed since the Wildcats' impressive wins against Florida Atlantic and Ohio.
Head coach Jenny Haigh hopes that is not too much time.
Sunday's 11 a.m. match between the 'Cats and the Blue Demons will be the first of a soccer tripleheader at the Leonard B. Thomas Sports Complex. Following that match, the Lakefront Men's Soccer Classic will conclude with a pair of matches -- Lafayette and Eastern Illinois at approximately 1:30, followed by Northwestern and DePaul men at 4 p.m.
It was a big step for Northwestern to bring its record level. Now, Haigh hopes that they can push it over that mark against a formidable city rival.
There were plenty of positives from the weekend, especially Sunday's breakout performance up front. Ashleigh Garmon, last year's leading scorer, got the ball rolling in the match's fourth minute, and added another in the second half. Senior Kristen Pearce was rewarded for her hard play with a goal and two assists, and freshman Katie Wright came off the bench to get a goal and two assists on the weekend (she also assisted Shannon Schneeman's OT match-winner Friday). The sudden boost in offense -- and confidence -- should come in handy against a DePaul defense that has allowed just two goals in four matches.
"I said at the beginning of the season that we have plenty of offensive weapons, it was just a matter of them stepping it up even more this season," said Haigh. "They did that against Ohio; now the key will be to keep it going Sunday."
At the other end, the defense seemed to settle down with a pair of shutouts after allowing six goals during the first weekend at Kansas and Missouri. Goalkeeper Whitney Jones was hardly tested by the Lady Owls and the Bobcats, a credit to the entire team's effort. Haigh knows that another stern test awaits, as the 'Cats attempt to handle DePaul's Julianne Sitch, who has scored five goals in the Blue Demons' first four matches.
"Sitch is a great player, and we may have some matchup problems with her," said Haigh, whose team has already dealt with one of the nation's top players in Kansas' Caroline Smith. "However, I hope that the confidence we've gained from last weekend carries over. We certainly have the players to match up with her."
DePaul enters the weekend with a 3-1 record, the lone loss coming 1-0 to a Nebraska team that is on the cusp of a national ranking (the Blue Demons will play at Northern Iowa Friday afternoon). So Haigh knows her team will need to bring its best effort to extend its winning streak to three.
Notes on Northwestern...
* Northwestern has won each of the first two meetings between these programs, including last year's 2-0 victory in the season opener for both teams. Tabitha Lowey and Nell Compernolle scored NU's goals in that match.
* NU has won two in a row for the first time since the 2001 season, when the 'Cats won four in a row from Oct. 26-Nov. 4.
* Freshman Shannon Schneeman scored her first collegiate Friday vs. Florida Atlantic, and it was an overtime match-winner. The assist came from classmate Katie Wright, and that was her first collegiate point.
* NU's overtime win Friday was its first in extra time since 2001. Last year, the 'Cats played six OT matches, finishing in a tie five times and losing once.
* Junior Ashleigh Garmon had the second multi-goal match of her career vs. Ohio, scoring twice. The other one also came in a 4-0 result, last year against Louisville when Garmon had three goals and an assist.
* Senior Kristen Pearce had a career-high four points vs. Ohio Sunday (1 goal, 2 assists). The goal was her first of 2003.
* Freshman Katie Wright had a career-high three points Sunday (1 goal, 1 assist).
* Senior Aileen Guiney assisted Garmon's first goal Sunday; it was the 18th assist of Guiney's career, moving her within 13 of Kristen Pearce for the school's all-time lead.
* NU scored 3:13 into Sunday's match, the 11th-fastest goal in program history.
*NU scored twice in a 29-second span in the second half Sunday, the fourth-shortest span between goals in program history.
* Freshman goalkeeper Whitney Jones had her first two collegiate shutouts over the weekend. She lowered her goals-against average to 1.50 for the season.
