Northwestern University Athletics
Third-Ranked Wildcats Christen Lakeside Field Against Loyola Wednesday
9/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 25, 2007
NU Men's Soccer Notes vs. Loyola
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EVANSTON, Ill. -
The No. 3 Northwestern men's soccer team will compete on its brand new home field for the first time when it welcomes nearby rival Loyola University Chicago at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Lakeside Field.
Series History
Northwestern leads 15-5-6, including 5-0-1 under Tim Lenahan. The programs have met every year since the Wildcats began play in the 1980 season with the exception of the 2000 campaign.
Last meeting: Northwestern won 2-0 Sept. 27, 2006 in Chicago behind goals by Eamon O'Neill and Drew Ratner. Will Briley made three of the team's four saves in goal to earn the shutout win.
Scouting Loyola
The Ramblers (4-2-2) have gone undefeated in their last five matches after dropping two of their first three this season. Loyola won both of its matches in San Diego last weekend, topping No. 20 UC Irvine 1-0 in overtime before defeating host San Diego by an identical score. Sophomore Michael Ferguson ranks tied for second in the nation with seven goals, including the overtime game-winner against the Anteaters. The rest of the Loyola team has five goals total. Ferguson has 15 points to his credit while no one else on the team has more than four. Goalkeeper Brian Byrne sports a 1.14 goals-against average.
Northwestern Wins Big Ten Opener at Ohio State
Not too many people would have expected a four-goal differential between Northwestern and Ohio State in their Big Ten opener Sunday afternoon, but that exactly what took place as the Wildcats raced past the 19th-ranked Buckeyes 4-0 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Piero Bellizzi and Carl Pett each scored two goals and added an assist while David Roth tied his own school record with three assists. Bellizzi scored 24 minutes in to help the Wildcats take a 1-0 lead into the intermission. NU put the game away with three goals eight minutes apart early in the second half. Misha Rosenthal made two saves to earn his fourth straight shutout in goal. Northwestern has two all-time wins in its first game of the Big Ten season with both coming against Ohio State the last two seasons.
'Cats Continue to Climb National Rankings
Northwestern continued its ascent up the national rankings this week, climbing three spots to No. 3 in this week's NSCAA/adidas poll after its win at then-No. 19 Ohio State Sunday. NU remained in the No. 2 spot in the Great Lakes Region behind only Notre Dame. NU is also ranked third in the College Soccer News after being No. 5 a week ago. SoccerTimes.com ranked the Wildcats fifth this week, up from last week's No. 8 ranking.
Wildcats Earn Big Ten, National Honors
Northwestern swept this week's Big Ten Player of the Week awards as sophomore Carl Pett was recognized as the Player of the Week and junior Drew Ratner was named the Defensive Player of the Week. Pett scored a pair of goals and had an assist in Sunday's 4-0 win at Ohio State. He leads the team with four goals this season and was also named the Soccer America Men's Player of the Week and was a national team of the week selection by College Soccer News and Top Drawer Soccer. Ratner anchored a NU defense which posted its fourth consecutive shutout and allowed just two shots on goal. The Wildcats were also named the "Team of the Week" by College Soccer News this week.
Wildcats Get a New Home
The Wildcats will begin playing their home games at a brand new Lakeside Field, built adjacent to the existing field. Wednesday's contest against local rival Loyola (Chicago) will be the men's team's first on the new field. The latest addition to Northwestern's athletic facilities is located along the banks of Lake Michigan, and features permanent grandstands, press box, new scoreboard and a state-of-the art playing surface designed by FieldTurf.
Getting Off on the Right Foot
The Wildcats enter play this week with a 6-0-1 mark, the team's best record through the first seven matches of the season in school history. In each of its previous 27 seasons of varsity play, NU had suffered at least one loss by its fourth match of the season.
You'll Get Nothing and Like It!
This year's Northwestern team has accomplished something that no other Wildcat team has ever done and that is post four consecutive shutouts against Division I opponents. The 1981, 1985 and 1988 teams each also recorded four straight shutouts, though each posted at least one of the wins against a non-Division I foe. No Northwestern team has ever recorded five straight shutouts.
May I Help You?
The three assists that David Roth recorded at Ohio State Sunday afternoon tied his own school single-game record. Roth first accomplished the feat Sept. 10, 2004 against UW-Green Bay. He is the Big Ten's active leader and Northwestern's all-time leader with 30 career assists.
