Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Faces Stiff Tests at Northern Illinois Invite
9/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 10, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern, ranked No. 22 in this week's NSCAA poll, makes the short trip west to DeKalb, Ill., this weekend to participate in the adidas/Magnuson Inn and Suites Invitational hosted by Northern Illinois University. The Wildcats face Oakland at 2:30 p.m. Friday before taking on No. 21 Tulsa at noon Sunday.
Gametracker will be available for both matches at NUsports.com.
Scouting Oakland
The Golden Grizzlies (2-0-1) have gotten off to a good start this season behind a strong defense and goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt who have allowed just one goal through the team's first three matches. Oakland went 14-4-2 a year ago and advanced to the NCAA tournament where it played Ohio State to a scoreless tie before falling 4-3 in penalty kicks. The Golden Grizzlies return three starters from last year's team, including Stefan St. Louis, a first-team All-Summit League pick in 2008.
Scouting Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane (1-1-1) is coming off a hard-fought 1-0 home loss Sunday to top-ranked Akron. Tulsa welcomes back seven starters from its 2008 squad which went 16-4-3 overall and won Conference USA with a 7-0-1 mark. The Golden Hurricane reached to the second round of the NCAA tourney before falling to seventh-seeded Creighton. Sophomore Austin Neil paced the team with 11 goals and 26 points a year ago.
Series Information
This weekend marks the first meeting between Northwestern and both Oakland and Tulsa.
Wildcats Drop Home Opener to DePaul, 2-1
Northwestern threw everything it had at DePaul in the second half, but the visiting Blue Demons spoiled the Wildcats' home opener by holding on for a 2-1 Monday afternoon at Lakeside Field. Trailing 1-0 at the intermission, NU pressured its crosstown rival and the persistence finally paid off at 64:58 as Matt Eliason took a feed from Oliver Kupe and found the back of the net for his third goal of the season. But just a minute and 23 seconds after Eliason's tally, Alex Mangan was able to finish a cross from Charlie Mancuso at the back post to give the guests the lead right back. The Wildcats had a number of quality scoring chances down the stretch, with the best opportunity coming in the 77th minute. After Jack Hillgard's header was cleared off the goalline by a DePaul defender, Alex Male's diving header came within inches of knotting the score but the ball banged off the crossbar.
Looking Ahead
Northwestern returns home next weekend to host the annual Lakeside Classic. The Wildcats face South Carolina at 7:30 p.m. Friday following the 5 p.m. match between Lafayette and Northern Illinois. On Sunday, NU takes on Lafayette at 2:30 p.m. following the noon contest between NIU and South Carolina.
