Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Close Out Regular Season at Oakland
10/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 29, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - With just one more game left in the regular season, you might suspect that the Northwestern women's team has nothing on the line except to use the match as preparation for next week's Big Ten Tournament.
But there is plenty.
When the Wildcats take the field against Oakland (Mich.) Saturday at 1 p.m. (noon Central), they will be:
Looking for their first win on an opponent's field this season, after six losses.
Looking to clinch a record above .500 and a 10-win season, firsts for the program since 1998.
Looking for momentum heading into a rematch with in-state rival Illinois next Thursday.
"We need to compete," said NU head coach Jenny Haigh. "Last Sunday we had a game we needed to win to keep our NCAA hopes alive, and we let it slip through our fingers. So now we need to get motivated to get out there, and stay connected to what's going on on the field."
Last week's loss at Illinois State put a crimp in NU's argument for an NCAA bid, but Saturday's game could be the first step toward reviving those hopes. The Wildcats would get to the 10-win mark for the season with a victory; couple that with a win or two at the Big Ten Tournament, and suddenly the team is back in the mix -- after all, five Big Ten teams made the national championship event a year ago, and the Wildcats finished this season fifth in the conference standings.
One of Haigh's primary concerns is to get her team to win on the road.
"I think it is about time we got over the hump," she said. "We played a strong schedule, especially on the road, but if you are going to play into November you need to win some of those games. I definitely want to get a win on the road, so we can gain some confidence heading into next week."
Haigh's squad can expect a tough game Saturday. Although the Grizzlies are 8-9 this season, they are coming off a 3-0 win against nationally ranked Michigan last week.
"I know they have one exceptional player up front, and I expect them to be very strong defensively," said Haigh. "We will have to negotiate their defense, and also be aware of their player up top and not let her get loose."
Some notes on the `Cats...
* NU and Oakland are meeting for the first time in women's soccer.
* NU has set a program record with eight overtime games this season; the `Cats are 3-3-2 in those games.
* NU has scored 35 goals this season -- the fourth-best season in that category in the program's 11-year history -- with at least two matches still to play.
* Of NU's 35 goals, 22 have come from freshmen or sophomores.
* NU has been shut out twice this season, by No. 3 Penn State and No. 19 Illinois; last year, the `Cats were shut out five times. The NU team that finished the season with the fewest blankings was the 1998 squad, which was shut out three times.
* NU has outscored opponents 35-21 this season, its best goal differential (+14) since 1998 (47-26, +21).
* Only one NU team in history has allowed fewer goals than this year's team -- the 2001 squad gave up 20 in 19 matches. Both the 2002 and 1997 teams gave up 22 (in 18 and 20 matches, respectively).
* NU has cut down its goals allowed from 31 last year to 21 this year despite losing a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection to graduation (Molly Greene).
* Freshman Kelsey Hans has 13 goals this season, a record for goals in a season by a freshman and the second-best season in the program's history; only current assistant coach Stephanie Erickson's 14-goal season in 1996 is better.
* Hans is already 10th on NU's career scoring list.
* Hans has 28 points this season, also second on NU's single-season list; the record is 35, set by Erickson in 1996 (14 goals, 7 assists).
* Ashleigh Garmon has 18 career goals and 42 careers points; she is tied for fifth on NU's all-time goal list and sixth on the all-time point list.
* NU has four players with five or more goals overall -- Hans, Garmon, Lowey and Shannon Schneeman; that is a first since the 1998 team had five players accomplish the feat.
* Hans is second in the conference behind Penn State's Tiffany Weimer in goals (7) and goals per game (0.67) in conference games; she is third behind Weimer and Ohio State's Lara Dickenmann in both point categories.
* Schneeman is tied for second in the Big Ten in assists (5) and assists per game (0.56) in conference play.
* Schneeman has tied the school record for assists in Big Ten play in one season; she shares it with Aileen Guiney, who did it in 2002.
* Sophomore goalkeeper Whitney Jones has six shutouts this season and boasts a 1.08 goals-against average.
* After allowing three goals to both Michigan and Michigan State during the first Big Ten weekend of the season, NU has allowed only two of its last 10 opponents to score more than once (Ohio State scored twice on 10/8, Illinois State scored twice last Sunday).
