Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Wraps Up Regular Season Against Green Bay Saturday
11/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 2, 2007
NU Men's Soccer Game Notes vs. Green Bay 
EVANSTON, Ill. -
No. 12 Northwestern (11-3-2) wraps up its regular season at 5 p.m. Saturday as it plays host to Green Bay in men's soccer action. NU will honor seniors Will Briley, Clark Kiesling, Mark Patterson, Drew Ratner, David Roth and Matt Witt in pregame ceremonies prior to their final regular season home game.
A victory would give the Wildcats 12 regular-season wins, tying the 2004 squad for the most the program has posted since the Big Ten began sponsoring men's soccer in 1991. It will also be the team's first game under the new lights at Lakeside Field.
Series History
Northwestern leads, 8-5-1. The Wildcats won the last three meetings and is 3-1 against Green Bay during the Tim Lenahan era.
Last meeting: The Wildcats defeated the Phoenix 4-1 in Evanston Sept. 10, 2004. Trailing 1-0 at the half, Northwestern rallied back to score four second-half goals to earn the win. David Roth set a school record with three assists in the contest.
Scouting Green Bay
The Phoenix (9-4-4, 4-2-2 Horizon League) will attempt to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to Loyola 3-0 and Milwaukee 1-0. Green Bay has managed a total of just two goals in its last six matches. Tosaint Ricketts and JC Banks pace the Phoenix with five goals and 11 points apiece. Adam Stikl has played in all 17 of the team's games in goal and sports an impressive 0.83 goals-against average. Green Bay has four common opponents with the Wildcats this season. The Phoenix fell to Loyola 3-0 while NU defeated the Ramblers 1-0. Both teams defeated Ohio State with Green Bay winning 1-0 in double overtime and the Wildcats posting a 4-0 victory. Northwestern topped DePaul 2-1 while the Phoenix lost to the Blue Demons 2-0. Green Bay played Wisconsin to a scoreless tie and NU beat the Badgers 3-0.
Wildcats Use Their Heads in 2-1 Win Over Western Illinois
Northwestern headed home a pair of goals and held off a late Western Illinois charge as it posted a 2-1 victory at Lakeside Field Wednesday afternoon. Tyler Voigt assisted on both goals for the Wildcats. Northwestern cashed in at the 24:55 mark as Voigt crossed the ball from the right flank to the center of the field where David Roth was able to beat WIU keeper Stephen Paterson with a diving header. NU maintained its one-goal lead late until Eamon O'Neill finished off another cross from Voigt with a header of his own to help seal the victory with 2:35 remaining. The Leathernecks would spoil the shutout with 1:29 to go on a goal by Phil Duret. Western Illinois was unable to mount another serious threat, though, as the Wildcats held on for the win.
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 Oct. 19 before making the trip to Ann Arbor for the soccer team's game against Michigan the next night. He made his first appearance and start of the season against Michigan State Sunday and made one save to earn the shutout win. He also got the win in Wednesday's match with Western Illinois.
A Solid Big Ten Standing
Northwestern's win over Michigan State Sunday gave the Wildcats a final Big Ten record of 3-2-1 this season. The mark ties the school record for best conference mark in a season, tying the similar finish by the 2004 squad. NU has nine wins in the last four Big Ten seasons after posting just four wins in the previous 13 conference seasons.
Establishing a Winning Legacy
The last four seasons should prove that the Wildcats have established themselves as a force in the Big Ten. Northwestern has posted nine Big Ten victories from 2004-07. In the previous 13 seasons, NU recorded a combined four wins in conference play. The Wildcats have also posted double-digit win totals overall in three of the last four seasons. Northwestern had just four other 10-plus win campaigns from 1980-2003, including none since 1988.
Wildcats in the National Rankings
Northwestern dropped down three spots to No. 12 in the NSCAA top 25 following its 1-1 record last week. The Wildcats remained ranked third in the Great Lakes Region rankings behind Indiana and Notre Dame. The Wildcats have been ranked as high as No. 3 this season, their highest ranking in school history. NU is No. 13 in this week's SoccerTimes.com and College Soccer News rankings.
