Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Welcome SIUE To Lakeside Field For NCAA Opener
11/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By: Daniel Hersh
EVANSTON, Ill. -- For the third consecutive year, the 'Cats received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, earning them a chance at the national title. The road begins at Lakeside Field on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. CT, when they will host the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Cougars in the first round of the tournament. A free web stream will be available at NUSports.com
2014 marks the fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the Wildcats senior class, a group anchored by Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year Tyler Miller and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Nikko Boxall.
Tim Lenahan's squad will be well rested, with Thursday's tilt their first action in 11 days. Lenahan has guided the 'Cats to the NCAA Tournament in eight of the last nine years, and all nine appearances in program history have come with him at the helm.
The winner of Thursday's match will move on to Berkeley to take on the California Golden Bears on Sunday, Nov. 23.
SIUE captured the Missouri Valley conference title, earning them an automatic bid to the tournament. They finished the season with a 7-8-4 record, and have lost only one game since October 28.
Senior forward Christian Volesky leads the Cougars with eight goals on the season. As a team, they've scored 27.
Six Big Ten men's soccer teams earned berths to the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. In addition to Northwestern, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State all secured bids, tying the 2004 Big Ten record of six teams advancing to the tournament.
The first round of the NCAA Tournament will be played on Thursday, while second-round games are scheduled for Sunday. The third round is slated for Nov. 30, while the quarterfinals will take place from Dec. 5-Dec. 6.
The semifinals and championship match will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, on Dec. 12 and Dec. 14, respectively, with the matches being aired live on ESPNU and WatchESPN.
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