Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats In Search of First Big Ten Title Saturday
11/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 3, 2011
Northwestern (9-4-4, 3-0-2 Big Ten)
at Michigan (5-12-1, 1-4-0 Big Ten)
Sat., Nov. 5, 2011, 4 p.m. CT
U-M Soccer Stadium
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Gametracker: NUsports.com
Northwestern Men's Soccer Weekly Game Notes
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern wraps up the 2011 regular season at 4 p.m. Saturday in Ann Arbor, playing Michigan at U-M Soccer Stadium. The Wildcats, who enter the weekend second in the conference standings and one point behind Ohio State, are in search of their first Big Ten regular season title and No. 1 seed for next week's Big Ten Tournament, which is also in Ann Arbor.
NU also looks to stay unbeaten in Big Ten play and stretch its unbeaten streak to nine matches heading into the postseason. A victory Saturday would give Northwestern a program-record four Big Ten wins.
Clinching Scenarios
There are a number of different scenarios that could give Northwestern its first Big Ten regular season title in the history of the program. Ohio State heads into Saturday with 12 points and a 4-1-0 conference mark while NU has 11 points and a 3-0-2 record. The Buckeyes play at Indiana at noon Saturday.
Here are the scenarios for Saturday:
- Northwestern wins the regular season if it beats Michigan and Ohio State ties or loses to Indiana.
- Northwestern ties for title if it ties Michigan and Ohio State loses. Northwestern would be the No. 1 seed for the Big Ten Tournament since it defeated Ohio State head-to-head.
- If Northwestern ties with Michigan, OSU loses and Wisconsin wins, it would be a three-way tie for the title. Northwestern would be the No. 1 seed with a 2-0-0 record vs. the other two.
Last Time Out
Northwestern battled the elements and No. 10 Indiana last Sunday at Lakeside Field on Senior Day and came back to tie the Hoosiers 2-2. Rain and wind played a factor in the match, with gusts reaching up to 30 miles per hour, yet three of the four goals were scored heading into the wind. Lepe Seetane (Maseru, Lesotho/Trinity) put the 'Cats up 1-0 with his goal off an assist by Oliver Kupe (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) in the 37th minute. Indiana then scored two second-half goals to take the 2-1 lead, but Kupe was not finished in his final regular season match at Lakeside Field. The senior scored a goal with about five minutes remaining to force overtime and eventually give NU the 2-2 tie.
Northwestern Honored a Seventh Time by the Big Ten; Kupe Wins Second Weekly Award
After assisting on a goal and scoring one of his own against Indiana, Oliver Kupe was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 31. It's the second award this season for Kupe and the fourth-straight week an NU player brought home the award. The last time that happened for any Big Ten team was when the Wildcats won four-straight weeks from Sept. 8-29 in 2008 (Mark Blades, Matt Eliason and Misha Rosenthal twice). This week's award also marks a school-record seventh weekly honor for NU this year.
Scouting Michigan
Michigan is 5-12-1 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten action this season. The Wolverines have dropped their last two matches, 2-1 at San Diego State and 1-0 at Michigan State, but upset then-No. 4 Akron 1-0 in overtime in Ann Arbor on Oct. 18. Michigan has played extra time in six matches this year, but only one of those contests resulted in a tie (2-2 vs. Georgetown).
Last Time vs. the Wolverines
Oliver Kupe scored two goals but it wasn't enough as Michigan left Lakeside Field with the 4-2 win in 2010. The Wildcats played short-handed as five key NU players missed the game due to injury or illness. Both teams took a 1-1 tie into intermission but Michigan capitalized in the second half, scoring three goals for the win.
'Cats in the Rankings
Northwestern is receiving votes (15) in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll and is 37th in the NCAA RPI rankings.
On Point
Three NU players currently rank in the top 10 in the conference for points. They are Oliver Kupe (5th; 15 pts; 0.94/game), Lepe Seetane (T-6th; 13 pts; 0.76/game) and Kyle Schickel (T-8th; 12 pts; 0.71/game). As a team, NU ranks second in the league, averaging 4.88 points per game (83 total).
Shutting Them Out
The Wildcats have not lost since Sept. 28, but more impressive, they have shut out five opponents since then, including a streak of four-straight games. Their shutout streak came to an end last Sunday against Indiana as the Hoosiers put two goals past Tyler Miller. Prior to the IU game, an opponent had not scored at Lakeside Field since Sept. 24 when Michigan State registered a second-half goal in its 1-1 tie with the Wildcats.
Up Next
Northwestern returns to Ann Arbor next week for the 2011 Big Ten Tournament. A tournament bracket including game times and matchups will be available after the final weekend of regular season competition.
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