Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Hosts Minnesota For Senior Night Friday
10/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 27, 2010
Northwestern (6-7-3, 2-4-1 Big Ten) vs. Minnesota (10-5-3, 2-4-2)
Friday, Oct. 29 • 7 p.m.
Evanston, Ill. // Lakeside Field
Webcast: BigTenNetwork.com
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern at Wisconsin (9-4-4, 6-1-2)
Monday, Nov. 1 • 7 p.m.
Madison, Wis. // McClimon Soccer Complex
Gametracker: NUsports.com
The Weekend
Northwestern plays its final home match of 2010 Friday night when the Wildcats host Minnesota for Senior Night at Lakeside Field. After that match, the 'Cats hit the road for a rare Monday night Big Ten game at Wisconsin.
Last Time Out
The Wildcats scored early and often last week in a 3-0 victory over Iowa that extended Northwestern's unbeaten streak against the Hawkeyes to nine. Senior Jennifer Baumann scored in the fourth minute - the earliest NU has scored in a match this season. Kate Allen added her team-leading sixth goal of the season midway through the first half, and freshman Natalie Lagunas scored her first career goal in the 45th minute to round out the scoring. Carolyn Edwards and Grace Weitz combined on a shutout in goal, with Edwards posting four saves and claiming the victory.
Scouting the Opponents
Featuring a potent offensive attack, Minnesota brings a 10-5-3 record into Friday night's game at Lakeside Field. The Golden Gophers have scored 32 goals this season, including six each by Molly Rouse (who also has five assists and leads the team with 17 points) and Shari Eckstrom. Katie Bethke has 10 assists for Minnesota on the season. Cat Parkhill has been steady in goal for the Gophers, allowing 14 goals and posting a 0.76 goals-against average. After opening the season 8-1-2, Minnesota spent five weeks in the national rankings. The stretch has been a bit more challenging, as the Gophers have gone 1-4-1 over their last six matches.
After going winless in their first five matches, the Badgers have come on strong in Big Ten play and bring a 6-1-2 conference record into Monday's match. Defense has clearly been a strength for Wisconsin this season as the Badgers have allowed just eight goals on the year and only three since Sept. 10. Michele Dalton has a 0.38 goals-against average and has posted 10 shutouts on the season. Reigning Big Ten Offesnive Player of the Week Laurie Nobusch leads Wisconsin's offense with seven goals scored.
Series Information
Northwestern trails the all-time series against both of this weekend's opponents. The 'Cats are 6-12-1 all-time against Minnesota and 5-13 against the Badgers, including losses to both teams in 2009. NU's last victory over the Gophers came in 2006, Stephanie Foster's first season as head coach. Minnesota last lost in Evanston in 2004. Prior to last season Northwestern had posted two consecutive victories over the Badgers, including a 1-0 win in Madison on Halloween 2008.
Senior Night 2010
Friday night marks the final home game of the 2010 Northwestern women's soccer season, and the final match on Lakeside Field for this year's six seniors. With the exception of fifth-year senior Leigh Jakes, this year's seniors are the first class to have played all of their home matches on Lakeside Field, which opened on Sept. 12, 2007, with a 3-0 Northwestern win over Loyola (Chicago). Over the past four seasons, the senior class of Colleen Antas, Ally Arca, Jennifer Baumann, Carolyn Edwards, Sam Greene, and Jakes have combined to start 224 games for Northwestern, and enter the weekend with 32 career wins.
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