Northwestern University Athletics
Moment 7: Men's Soccer Advances to Elite Eight
7/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
July 31, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -
The 2008-09 athletic year at Northwestern University was one to be remembered. Filled with a plethora of memorable wins, honors and championships, there was much to be celebrated this past year in Evanston. Be sure to follow along at NUsports.com through August 10 as a look back is taken at just some of the numerous highlights the Wildcats experienced.
The turnaround that the Northwestern men's soccer program has experienced over the last decade is nothing short of remarkable. In 2000, the Wildcats posted a 0-17-1 record. By 2009, NU was making its second run to the NCAA quarterfinal round over a three-year span and was ranked No. 2 in the country for the majority of the regular season.
Northwestern raced out to an 11-0-2 mark through its first 13 matches, surrendering just three goals along the way while posting 10 shutouts. However, against a challenging Big Ten slate, the 'Cats dropped four of their last six matches to close out the regular season and the Big Ten tournament. As a result, NU wasn't rewarded with one of the top 16 seeds for the NCAA tourney. That didn't matter, though.
The Wildcats opened the postseason with a tough home match against Loyola Chicago. Regulation and two overtimes failed to produce a winner, but Northwestern was able to advance by defeating the Ramblers 4-1 in penalty kicks. The win set up a match at 12th-seeded Notre Dame. Trailing 1-0 in the second half, NU rallied back to stun the Fighting Irish behind a pair of goals by freshman Oliver Kupe, the first two tallies of his collegiate career.
Northwestern then returned home to Lakeside Field to face fifth-seeded Akron. Amid sleet and heavy winds along Lake Michigan, the 'Cats got a second-half goal by senior Geoff Fallon to make it within one win of the College Cup. Though NU fell just short by falling 1-0 at eventual national runner-up North Carolina, head coach Tim Lenahan's squad continued to establish itself as a national power in 2009.
