Northwestern University Athletics
No. 9 Wildcats and Northern Illinois Face Off Wednesday
10/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2007
NU Men's Soccer Game Notes vs. Northern Illinois in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
EVANSTON, Ill. -
No. 9 Northwestern takes a break from Big Ten Conference play Wednesday as it makes the short trip west to DeKalb to face in-state foe Northern Illinois. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. The Huskies participated in NU's Lakeside Classic while Wildcats competed in the NIU adidas/ Baymont Inn Invitational earlier this season, but the teams did not face one another in either tournament.
Gametracker is expected to be available for the match and can be accessed via NUsports.com.
Series History
Northern Illinois leads, 15-5-3. The Huskies won 14 consecutive meetings from 1987-2000. Northwestern is 3-0-1 against NIU under Tim Lenahan's guidance.
Last meeting: The Wildcats defeated the Huskies 1-0 in double overtime last year in NU's regular season finale. Brad North scored with just 1:09 remaining in the second overtime off an assist from Geoff Fallon to give Northwestern the win. The victory helped Northwestern earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where it went on to advance to the quarterfinal round.
Scouting Northern Illinois
The Huskies (4-6-4, 1-1-1 MAC) are coming off a 2-1 overtime loss at home to Buffalo Saturday. Marcus McCarty and Chris Johnson are tied for the team lead with three goals apiece. Northern Illinois has had a number of low-scoring games this season as six of their 14 matches have resulted in either 0-0 or 1-0 scores. Joe Zimka has seen the majority of the action in goal for the Huskies and sports a 1.36 goals-against average.
Wildcats Settle for Scoreless Tie with Michigan
Northwestern dominated possession throughout and held a dominating 19-5 edge in shots, but was forced to settle for a scoreless tie at Michigan in Big Ten action Saturday evening. Northwestern controlled the ball to the point where Michigan didn't record its first shot of the match until 23 minutes remained in the second half. Will Briley got his first start of the season in goal and earned the shutout while collecting one save. Meanwhile, Wolverine keeper Patrick Speery recorded six saves. Sophomore midfielder Carl Pett returned from injury to post a match-high five shots, matching Michigan's total as a team.
Defense Steps Up
The five shots by Michigan Saturday in its double overtime tie with Northwestern marked the fewest shots allowed by the Wildcats in a match this season. The total is the lowest by an NU foe since Ohio State had six Sept. 17, 2006. Michigan had just three shots through the end of regulation and their first shot didn't come until nearly 67 minutes had been played.
Wildcats in the National Rankings
Northwestern held firm at the No. 9 in the NSCAA top 25 following its tie with Michigan. However, the Wildcats did drop one spot in the Great Lakes Region rankings as Indiana took over the top spot from Notre Dame. The Wildcats have been ranked as high as No. 3 this season, their highest ranking in school history. NU is No. 10 in this week's SoccerTimes.com and College Soccer News rankings.
Familiar Face Does Double Duty
The Wildcats welcomed back a familiar face to the program last week as senior goalkeeper Justin Pines rejoined the team. Pines was a member of the men's soccer team from 2003-06 and has been serving as a reserve kicker on the Northwestern football team this season. A knee injury to Misha Rosenthal left the list of NU keepers in short supply. Pines suited up for the Wildcat football team for its game against Eastern Michigan in Detroit Friday before making the trip to Ann Arbor for the soccer team's game against Michigan Saturday.
