Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Kick Off Season Against Local Rival DePaul
8/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 19, 2010
Northwestern (0-0) vs. DePaul
Sunday, Aug. 22
Lakeside Field (Capacity: 2,000)
Evanston, Ill. • 1 p.m.
Admission & Parking are FREE for NU Women's Soccer!
Streaming Video: NUSports.com (Kevin Danna, play-by-play)
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
Northwestern opens it's 17th season of women's soccer this weekend as the Wildcats play host to local rival DePaul Sunday at 1 p.m. It's the third consecutive season - and eighth overall - that NU has opened the year with a home match. Overall, Northwestern has a 8-6-2 record in home openers. The 'Cats are unbeaten in their last three home openers (2-0-1), including a tie with Milwaukee last August. Live, streaming video of the match will be available through Wildcats All Access at NUSports.com.
Series Information
NU owns a 5-1-0 advantage in its series with DePaul, but it was the Blue Demons that claimed the most recent win in the series, a 3-2 decision at DePaul's Wish Field in 2009. Sunday marks the fourth meeting in the last five seasons between the two Chicagoland programs, with each of the last three games decided by a single goal. Stephanie Foster coached the Wildcats to a 2-1 win at DePaul in 2006, her first game as Northwestern head coach.
Scouting the Blue Demons
Loaded with talent, DePaul returns 10 starters from a squad that went 10-9-2 in 2009, finished 5th in the BIG EAST's National Division, and achieved the first national ranking in program history. Leading the way is senior midfielder Tara Strickland, who led the team in scoring (seven goals) and assists (six). Sophomore Claire Hanold returns in net for the Blue Demons, a year removed from posting a 1.06 goals-against average with 70 saves while playing every minute of her freshman season.
Last Time Out
Northwestern got a glimpse of the future in its lone exhibition game of the fall, a 5-0 win over Loyola (Chicago) last Friday at Lakeside Field. Freshman Julie Sierks, one of seven Wildcat newcomers this season, scored the first goal for the 'Cats and sparked the offense to a rout. Caroline Dagley, Jill Dunn and Emily Langston each recorded a goal in the match, while all three of Northwestern's goalkeepers (Carolyn Edwards, Sam Hatfield and Grace Weitz) combined to pitch a shutout in net.
A Tough Road Ahead
After tackling an incredibly challenging schedule in 2009, the Northwestern women's soccer coaching staff outdid itself when putting together the 2010 slate. This fall the 'Cats will face nine programs that qualified for the 2009 NCAA Championships, including two national semifinalists in Notre Dame and UCLA. Eight of Northwestern's 2010 opponents are either ranked or receiving votes in the NSCAA preseason poll.
Road Trip!
After this weekend's home opener, Northwestern embarks on its longest road trip of the season, a three-games-in-five-days stretch that will see the Wildcats tangle with a pair of national powers. NU opens play in the Wisconsin Tournament against Cincinnati on Friday, Aug. 27, before playing its first-ever match against UCLA Sunday morning in Madison. The team won't even return to campus before heading west to face BYU on Tuesday, Aug. 31. Beginning in September, Northwestern will not play more than two consecutive road games for the remainder of the 2010 regular season.
Complete games notes can be found here in PDF format.
