Northwestern University Athletics
Moment No. 7: Men's Soccer Advances to Elite Eight
7/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
Loyola Chicago NCAA Recap
Notre Dame NCAA Recap
Akron NCAA Recap
North Carolina NCAA Recap
July 31, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. - 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.
