Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Announces Challenging 2009 Schedule
7/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
July 1, 2009
2009 Northwestern Men's Soccer Schedule
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Facing a challenging schedule is nothing new to the Northwestern men's soccer program. That trend continues during the 2009 season as the Wildcats are set to play nearly half of their regular season contests against teams that participated in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, as well as a number of other traditionally strong outfits.
Coming off its second NCAA quarterfinal round appearance in the last three seasons and ranked No. 9 in the College Soccer News preseason poll, NU has put together another slate that is sure to prepare it well for the perennially tough Big Ten campaign in addition to the postseason. A willingness to schedule some of the top teams in the country has helped the 'Cats earn the fourth-highest RPI in the country over the past three years.
"This is certainly one of our most difficult schedules that we've played," Northwestern head coach Tim Lenahan said. "Put together the fact that we're facing eight teams that played in the NCAA tournament last year, plus a number of other traditional powers such as South Carolina, Lafayette and Northern Illinois, and we have a real challenge in front of us. The Big Ten has been the first- or second-rated conference in the country each of the last few years, so that always poses a test for us as well."
Northwestern will benefit from playing 10 of its 17 games in 2009 at the friendly confines of Lakeside Field, a facility where it went 8-1-1 a year ago.
The Wildcats open the season on the road as they travel to Horizon League foe Green Bay Sept. 1. The home schedule begins six days later when NU squares off against local rival DePaul.
A pair of NCAA qualifiers from last season await the 'Cats that following weekend as they travel to DeKalb for the NIU/adidas Invitational, taking on Oakland and Tulsa. The latter match comes against a Golden Hurricane squad ranked No. 12 by College Soccer News.
The annual Lakeside Classic is set for Sept. 18 and 20 with Northwestern facing South Carolina the opening day, followed by a showdown against Lafayette, the school Lenahan coached prior his arrival in Evanston. Northern Illinois is also competing in the Classic.
The Wildcats host two more matches the next weekend, including a Sept. 25 contest against a Drake team ranked No. 21 by College Soccer News in the preseason. SIU Edwardsville comes to town two days later.
Northwestern then hits the road for three consecutive games, beginning with the Big Ten opener at Ohio State Oct. 4. The 'Cats follow up their match with the Buckeyes by making a return trip to Northern Illinois to face the Huskies before heading east to take on Penn State Oct. 11.
NU concludes its regular season by playing five of its final six contests on its home field. The closing stretch opens with an Oct. 14 non-conference matchup against Western Illinois with a match against Wisconsin coming three days later. The next week sees the Wildcats welcoming a Loyola Chicago squad it advanced past in the opening round of last year's NCAA tournament, followed by a showdown against perennial conference power Indiana Oct. 25.
After heading out for a match at Michigan Nov. 1, Northwestern concludes the regular season by hosting defending Big Ten champion Michigan State Nov. 7.
This year's Big Ten tournament is being held Nov. 12-15 in Bloomington, Ind., with the NCAA tournament getting underway Nov. 20. The College Cup is set for Dec. 11 and 13 in Cary, N.C.
