Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Make Annual Trek to DeKalb for NIU Invite
9/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 8, 2011
Northwestern (1-1-1) vs. Portland (1-1-1)
Friday, Sept. 9, 2011
NIU Soccer Complex
DeKalb, Ill. • 2:30 p.m.
Gametracker: NUsports.com
Northwestern vs. Valparaiso (1-1-1)
Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011
NIU Soccer Complex
DeKalb, Ill. • 1:30 p.m.
Gametracker: NUsports.com
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern takes its annual trip to DeKalb, Ill., this weekend to participate in the adidas NIU Invitational. The Wildcats face Portland at 2:30 p.m. Friday before squaring off against Valparaiso at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Wildcats notched their first victory of the season on Monday, posting a 2-0 home win over UMKC. Reed Losse got the Wildcats on the board in the 11th minute off an assist from Scott Lakin. Oliver Kupe added an insurance goal just over three minutes into the second half with Chris Ritter assisting on the play. Tyler Miller made one save to earn his second consecutive shutout in goal. Northwestern posted advantages of 15-5 in shots and 7-6 in corner kicks.
Scouting Portland
The Pilots (1-1-1) are coming off a 3-0 home loss to Loyola Chicago on Sunday. Portland opened its season with a 2-1 win at Oregon State before tying Florida Gulf Coast 1-1. The team went 9-4-6 a year ago, including 6-3-3 in West Coast Conference play. Steven Evans is the team's leading returning scorer from a year ago, posting four goals and four assists in 2010. Bill Irwin has a 76-63-27 record in nine seasons as the head coach of the Pilots.
Scouting Valparaiso
The Crusaders (1-1-1) trounced Calumet College 8-0 in its season-opener before falling 2-1 at Duquesne and tying Pittsburgh 1-1. The team is coming off consecutive winning seasons for the first time in school history, including going 9-8-2 a year ago. Todd Vervynckt and Jaymie Bullard lead the team with two goals apiece, while Kyle Zobeck has a 0.93 goals-against average. Mike Avery is in his fifth season as the head coach of Valpo.
Series History
Northwestern and Portland are meeting for the first time, while the Wildcats lead the all-time series with Valparaiso 11-4-0.
Miller Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
Northwestern freshman goalkeeper Tyler Miller had a dazzling collegiate debut Sept. 1 against seventh-ranked California. The Woodbury, N.J., native recorded two saves en route to being named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week as the Wildcats shut out the Golden Bears. He is the first NU player to earn the honor since goalkeeper Misha Rosenthal on Oct. 26, 2009. Miller followed up the effort with another shutout in Monday's victory over UMKC.
Up Next
The Wildcats host the annual Lakeside Classic next weekend, facing UC Davis at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Xavier at 2 p.m. Sunday.
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