Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Close Spring Season; Finish With Three Victories
3/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
May 7, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- With a 2-0 win over University of Chicago, Northwestern wrapped up it's spring season with a 3-2-3 overall record. Alicia Herczeg and Sam Greene led the Wildcat attack all spring, combining for five goals and three assists. Between the pipes, Grace Weitz and Carolyn Edwards split duties and combined for three shutouts.
"We have made excellent progress and have seen all of our players develop over the spring," head coach Stephanie Erickson said. "I am very optimistic about the fall based on the productive spring we just had."
"Next, we get into yoga, weights and conditioning until summer and pre season will be right around the corner after that."
Recaps of all of NU's spring games appear below.
2008 Spring Schedule and Results
Saturday, April 5
NU 0, NIU 0
NU 1, Loyola (Chicago) 1
In its spring opener, Northwestern earned ties against NIU and Loyola (Chicago) in games hosted by Loyola. In the first game against NIU, Grace Weitz (Golden Valley, Minn./The Breck School) played all 70 minutes to pick up the shutout in a 0-0 tie. Weitz made several big saves to keep the Huskies off the board, while offensively, Alicia Herczeg (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura) and Jenny Dunn (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Louisville) had NU's best chances.
NU fell behind 1-0 late in the second half against Loyola (Chicago) in the second game, but a Sam Greene (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica) goal in the final minute tied the game at 1-1. Greene took a great pass from Herczeg and put home the equalizer.
Carolyn Edwards (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson) played solid between the pipes in the second game. Emily Wray (Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley), who missed all of her freshman season due to injury, made her NU debut on Saturday.
"I was pleased with our first two spring games," head coach Stephanie Erickson said. "I thought we got better as the day went on. Carolyn and Grace each played a full game and did very well. We had good chances in the first game and just missed by inches. In the second game, Alicia fed Sam with a great pass."
Sunday, April 13
NU 1, Marquette 0
DePaul 2, NU 1
Northwestern split a pair of contests at Marquette, topping host Marquette 1-0 before falling to DePaul in the day's second game, 2-1. In the first game, Sam Greene (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica) scored the game's lone goal on a half volley and Carolyn Edwards (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson) picked up the shutout in net to give NU a 1-0 win over Marquette.
In the second game, the Wildcats went up 1-0 over the Blue Demons on a first-half goal by Colleen Antas (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North). With the wind in their faces in the second half, the Wildcats surrendered two goals in the blustery conditions and fell 2-1.
"We are still making progress and are learning some good things about our team," Erickson said. "We have seen good development out of individuals throughout the spring -- Ally Arca has made huge strides and Alicia Herczeg is embracing a leadership role -- and plenty of players are getting time on the field. We need to handle conditions better because we know we will experience fatigue, wind and cold in the fall."
Sunday, April 27
NU 1, Iowa 1
UW-Milwaukee 3, NU 0
Northwestern hosted Iowa and UW-Milwaukee at Lakeside Field over the weekend came away with a 0-1-1 record. Against conference foe Iowa, the Wildcats got on the board first with a Jenny Dunn (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Louisville) goal off an assist from Alicia Herczeg (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura). Iowa tied the score late off a corner kick and the game ended in a tie.
In the second of back-to-back games, the Wildcats fell 3-0 to UW-Milwaukee. NU played the last 20 minutes down a player. "I thought we played well," Erickson said. "We learned a lot from being down a player. We weren't able to attack like we would have liked, but it was a learning experience."
Sunday, May 4
NU 3, DePaul 1
Northwestern picked up its second win of the spring season with a 3-1 victory over DePaul at the Lakeside Field Sunday. The win bumped Northwestern's spring record to 2-2-3. Alicia Herczeg (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura), who has paced the Wildcat attack this spring, scored to put the Wildcats up 1-0 in the first half.
After NU took a 2-0 lead into halftime, the Blue Demons closed to 2-1 in the second frame. Sam Greene (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica), who has also shown an offensive touch this spring, added the insurance to put the Wildcats up 3-1.
Tuesday, May 6
NU 2, University of Chicago 0
Northwestern wrapped up its spring schedule with a 2-0 win over the University of Chicago Tuesday night. As has been the case all spring, Alicia Herczeg and Sam Greene worked together to supply most of the offense. Herczeg scored her second goal of the spring off an assist from Greene. The duo combined for five goals and three assists.
In goal, Grace Weitz and Carolyn Edwards combined to give NU the shutout.
