Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Kick Off 2008 Season Friday Against Nebraska
8/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 21, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In its first of three home games to start the season, Northwestern opens 2008 against the Nebraska Huskers at 5 p.m. Friday at Lakeside Field. The Wildcats are coming off a scoreless tie against Louisville in their lone exhibition contest of the year.
Live Stats and Live Video
Gametracker will be available for Friday's game and all of Northwestern's home games this season. In addition, video of Friday's game will be streamed live via NUsports.com All-Access. Fans must be subscribers of All-Access in order to watch Wildcat games on NUsports.com. Fans can subscribe by clicking the link below or clicking the "Watch" link to the game on the front page of NUsports.com. A full archive of the game will be available to All-Access subscribers shortly after the game's conclusion. Monthly subscriptions are $6.95.
Subscribe to All-Access and Watch Friday's Game LIVE!
As the Wildcats began preparations for the 2008 campaign, head coach Stephanie Erickson chatted with NUsports.com about the upcoming season.
Entering your third season as head coach, how does the familiarity your players have with the staff help the team prepare for the season?
"It feels like a more familiar role for all of us when we're starting the season because we finally feel like we know our players as athletes and people. We've worked with our seniors for the past two seasons and for everyone else, they only know our staff's way of doing things. I think we're starting to feel much more connected with our players. Things are rolling for us and we don't have as much teaching to do."
Although the team played all of its games on the surface of Lakeside Field last year, this will be the first season in the completed stadium. How will you use that to your advantage?
"We just blocked out a lot of what we had to deal with last year. It will be exciting to walk out there with our stadium being completely done and looking amazing. We've really learned what the facility is all about from the surface, the weather and playing under the lights. Having the stadium totally finished this year diminishes a ton of distractions, which will only help us. We have a lot of night games on the road as well and I think they are something our players get excited for."
How will this year's schedule help this team reach its goal of bringing the Northwestern program back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998?
"I think we took our schedule a notch up in terms of its strength. If we have success with it, we should be in good position for a tournament bid. It is great that we're playing the Big 12, SEC the Big East and eight NCAA tournament teams from a year ago. There are some new teams for us and we will have to work hard in preparation. It will be a motivating factor for our players to play teams that are well known."
All four of your seniors will make big impacts on the field this season. How important will their leadership be to the team's success?
"It is rare in my career to feel so connected to a senior class. Since it is a small class, we know each one of them well. They are really close as a class and have embraced what we are trying to do. It will be fun to watch them lead our team because they are excited to do it. They will all have an impact on the field, which isn't always true of a senior class. It will be a special year to have that experience with the four kids."
You graduated most of your offensive production from last season in Kelsey Hans and Shannon Schneeman. Who do you expect will pick up that production?
"Jenny Dunn, Sam Greene and Alicia Herczeg were partly responsible for a lot of those goals last year. They are ready to emerge and take responsibility for converting goals rather than taking a supporting role. They are dynamic and have played together for a while. Freshman Kelsey Bertamus will be one to watch and will add a dimension that we've never had in terms of her athleticism, strength and presence. Another freshman, Emily Langston, is creative, fast and has a nose for the goal."
Talk about the leaders of your midfield.
"We are fortunate to have one more year of Jeanette Lorme in the midfield. She will be the key to that unit. She isn't flashy and she isn't one you will always notice, but she does all the dirty work and keeps the ball for us. She is usually the reason things happen from back there. Jennifer Baumann will only be better from having a year under her belt and there will be a lot of competition to round out our midfield."
You return several starters from a unit that played a lot of shutout soccer last season and also bring back Leigh Jakes after a year off due to injury. How important will that experience be this season?
"Leigh coming back is going to be exciting because she will add a dimension of athleticism that we've been lacking and we are ready to have her stability back there. She is so hard to beat. Laura Janowitsch is the senior back there and Ali Rubitz, Kirstyn Atkinson and Kay Sampson all have experience back there. We aren't sure exactly what the backline will be, but it will be experienced. That is important because we will have young goalkeepers. The experienced players will have to help lead in the back at the beginning of the season."
At goalkeeper, Carolyn Edwards played in several matches last season and will be competing with fellow sophomore Grace Weitz and freshman Courtney Smith for the starting spot. What do each of your goalkeepers bring to the position?
"One of the things Carolyn has going for her is experience in pressure situations. She played for a premier club team before she came here and one of the most important things a keeper can have is poise in pressure situations. She showed that last year when she played against Michigan State and she came up huge to preserve the shutout. Grace has gotten so much better over the past year. She is courageous and wants to own her entire goal box, and she has gotten a lot more powerful and has gained experience with her decision-making. Courtney has played for one of the top club teams and won a national championship. She is very athletic and can make big saves. We're excited to see how quickly she can transition to the college game."
