Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Close Out Season at No. 16 Illinois
11/3/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nov. 3, 2010
Northwestern (6-9-3, 2-6-1 Big Ten) at #16 Illinois (12-4-1, 5-3-1)
Saturday, Nov. 6 • 7 p.m.
Champaign, Ill. // Illinois Soccer Stadium
Gametracker: NUsports.com
The Weekend
Northwestern brings the 2010 season to a close Saturday with a road match at in-state rival #16 Illinois.
Last Time Out
The Wildcats dropped a pair of matches over the weekend. After falling two goals behind Minnesota on Friday, Bo Podkopacz scored her first collegiate goal in the 79th minute to pull NU back within one. The 'Cats' attempt at a rally fell short, however, with the Golden Gophers claiming a 2-1 win on Northwestern's senior night. Then on Monday the Wildcats gave up three first-half goals to Wisconsin and lost, 3-0. NU did outshoot the Badgers in the second half, 6-5.
Scouting the Opponent
After entering the season unranked in any of the national polls, Illinois got off to a 11-3-1 start, the best in program history. Led by ninth-year head coach Janet Rayfield, the Fighting Illini have posted wins over nationally ranked Louisville and Ohio State and are ranked 16th in this week's NSCAA/HendrickCars.com Top 25.
Freshman Vanessa DiBernardo leads Illinois offensively with 26 points (11 goals, four assists), while the Illini have only allowed opponents a total of 13 goals on the year. Alexandra Kapicka and Steph Panozzo have combined for a 0.75 goals-against average in net for the Fighting Illini this season.
Series Information
Illinois leads the all-time series between the in-state rivals, 8-3-3. However, Northwestern has won the last two meetings between the schools, and Stephanie Foster is 2-1-1 against the Fighting Illini as a coach. Last season, the sides met on an incredibly windy night on the shores of Lake Michigan. Caroline Dagley scored her first career goal in the 47th minute to put the Wildcats ahead, while Carolyn Edwards made a career-high 12 saves to preserve the victory for Northwestern.
Senior Night 2010
Saturday night will mark the final game in the collegiate careers of Northwestern's six seniors, all of whom have had a hand in assisting the rebirth of the Wildcat program under Stephanie Foster.
Colleen Antas
Colleen has played in ten games for the Wildcats this season, and has made 42 career appearances in the midfield. Colleen has earned Academic All-Big Ten honors twice in her Northwestern career.
Ally Arca
Ally entered her senior year with nine career appearances for the Wildcats - and has more than doubled that with 13 games played in 2010. She came in as a substitute against UCLA and her lockdown performance inspired the defense to shut out the then #3-ranked team in the country. Ally worked her way into the starting lineup midway through the season and has now made eight consecutive starts. She has also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Jennifer Baumann
Jennifer has been a fixture in the Northwestern midfield over the past four seasons, with 76 games played and 62 starts. In 2007, she led the `Cats in assists as was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. She was a member of the 2008 Big Ten Tournament all-Tournament team, and has scored six goals and six assists in her career. She has earned Academic all-Big Ten honors twice and is a two-time team captain.
Carolyn Edwards
One of the best goalkeepers in Northwestern women's soccer history, Carolyn has started 56 consecutive matches entering Saturday. She sits among Northwestern's career leaders in minutes and saves and is second in school history with 15 career shutouts. In addition, she has earned academic all-Big Ten honors and is a two-time team captain.
Sam Greene
The only member of this year's senior class to have played in every game of her Northwestern career, Sam enters Saturday with 64 career starts. Greene has scored eight goals and ranks fourth in the Wildcat career record books with 15 assists, including eight in a prolific 2008 season that ranks amongst the best in school history. After playing as a forward for her first three seasons, Sam accepted the challenge of moving to the defense in 2010 and has helped the back line record three shutouts this year. She has also made several starts in the midfield this year and shifted back to the attack for the Wildcats as well. She has also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Leigh Jakes
Leigh has been a key member of the Northwestern defense over the past five seasons, logging 60 appearances and 49 starts. A Big Ten all-freshman team selection in 2006, Leigh has played a part in 13 shutouts by the Northwestern defense. She scored the first goal of her career earlier this season against Penn State and also has an assist this season. Leigh has earned Academic all-Big Ten honors twice.
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