Northwestern University Athletics
No. 24 Wildcats Head West To Take On NIU Wednesday
10/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By: Daniel Hersh
DE KALB, Ill. -- Unbeaten in nearly a month, the No. 24 Wildcats (5-1-4) head west to take on Northern Illinois (2-4-4) on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at the NIU Soccer Complex.
Northwestern and NIU last met on Oct. 9 of last season when a 53rd minute goal by Chris Ritter propelled the Wildcats to a 1-0 win at Lakeside Field.
Lately, the two-headed offensive monster of junior classmates Joey Calistri and Cole Missimo has combined with a stifling defense backed by goalkeeper Tyler Miller for a 3-0-2 mark in their last five contests. The latest victim was perennial national power Maryland on Sunday at Lakeside Field, where the `Cats earned a 3-2 win in overtime over the newest member of the Big Ten.
Missimo had an especially productive game against Maryland, registering two assists and then booting in the game-winning goal just over a minute into the first overtime period. His performance earned him the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, the first Conference weekly honor of his collegiate career.
Calistri scored the second goal of the game and created the game-winner with a hustle play to keep the ball in-bounds on the end line before sending a pass to Missimo in the middle of the box. Together, Calistri and Missimo are the team's two top scorers, combining for eight out of the squad's 12 goals on the season.
The Huskies are on the other side of the spectrum and haven't won a game since playing UIC on Sept. 12. They're coming off a scoreless tie at Loyola and have surrendered multiple goals in four of their last five outings.
This is the first stop on a long road trip for the Wildcats. They won't play another game at Lakeside Field until Nov. 2, when they host Penn State. They've got four conference games remaining in their schedule in a very close Big Ten race this year.
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