Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Illinois
Wildcats Tie No. 19 Illinois, 0-0
10/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 22, 2004
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EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern and 19th-ranked Illinois fought for 110 minutes Friday afternoon at the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex, but could not settle matters and had to finish with a 0-0 tie.
That's the bad news. The good news is they get to settle it in a few weeks -- as in November 4 in Columbus, Ohio, in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Friday's tie kept the Illini (11-4-2, 5-3-2) in fourth place in the conference; however, it allowed Northwestern (9-6-2, 5-4-1) to tie Wisconsin for fifth place in the standings on the Big Ten's final day of play. Because of the Wildcats' overtime win against the Badgers earlier this season, the 'Cats will be the fifth seed in the Tournament, while the Badgers drop to the sixth seed.
"This was an important point for us to get," said NU head coach Jenny Haigh, who saw her team improve to 8-1-2 at home this season including an unblemished 5-0-1 mark in Big Ten play. "We finished over .500 in the conference for the first time since I've been here, and to get a tie against that Illinois team was great for us. I think they are one of the strongest teams we have seen all year."
Illinois outshot Northwestern 16-4 on the day and had the better of the chances, but Whitney Jones and the Wildcat defense was up to the task. Jones finished with five saves -- including a pair late in the second overtime -- and was aided by two shots that were cleared off the goal line by NU defenders.
For the most part, though, Illinois was thwarted in the attacking zone by an aggressive back line.
"Our defense really stepped up today," said Haigh. "They did not make it easy for Illinois out there. I was happy with our overall team defense; our forwards did a great job of getting back, and our midfield was solid as usual."
At the other end, Illinois' All-America goalkeeper Leisha Alcia was called upon to make one save, a diving effort on a long shot from Kelsey Hans.
With the Big Ten season over, Northwestern must now focus on a pair of nonconference affairs to end the regular season. With an NCAA Tournament berth hanging in the balance, the first test comes Sunday when the 'Cats travel to face an Illinois State team that beat this Illini squad, 1-0, earlier in the season.
"Our players know that they will see Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament again, but our focus now must be on Illinois State," said Haigh. "They will be a solid team, and we have struggled on the road all season. This is a game that could break our NCAA chances so we cannot afford to overlook them."
MATCH SUMMARY
Score by Half
Illinois (11-4-2, 5-3-2) 0 0 0 0 - 0
Northwestern (9-6-2, 5-4-1) 0 0 0 0 - 0
Goal Summary
None
Shots: Illinois 16, NU 4
Corner Kicks: Illinois 8, NU 1
Fouls: NU 20, Illinois 14
GK Saves: NU - Whitney Jones 5 (team 2); ILL - Leisha Alcia 1
