Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats celebrate 20th Anniversary this weekend
9/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | General
EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Northwestern Wildcats return home this week to the comforts of Lakeside Field as they honor the inaugural 1994 women's soccer team, celebrating the program's 20th anniversary while hosting a pair of conference games.
Head Coach Michael Moynihan and the 'Cats will play the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. and the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday, Sept. 21 at noon. BTN Plus on BTN2GO will stream live both matches.
Moynihan, in his third year at the helm of the Wildcats women's soccer team, expressed excitement and gratitude for the program that continues to support women in athletics and provide opportunity to so many young women over the years. “We are excited to be celebrating 20 years of Northwestern Women's Soccer this weekend,” Moynihan said. “It is a landmark moment and a great opportunity to be recognizing the efforts, contributions, and achievements of all the women that have participated in this program. I have only been at Northwestern for a small portion of this history, but I can see the tremendous pride our student athletes have in representing Northwestern University.”
Established in 1994, more than 150 student-athletes have represented the Northwestern women's soccer program, which has produced more than 30 All-Big Ten honorees, 200-plus Academic All-Big Ten awards and two NCAA Tournament berths.
“They bleed purple and they put in extraordinary efforts to represent this institution well, from the soccer field, to the classroom, and into the community,” said Moynihan, who will spearhead this weekend's celebration with the team. A special recognition ceremony will welcome all former Wildcats women's soccer players back to Lakeside Field at halftime during the match against the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday.
“Our student-athletes are richer for having been a part of it. This is our opportunity to come together and recognize all the women over the years that have put their heart and soul into this program,” he said.
Friday's matchup marks the 17th all-time meeting between the two teams. The 'Cats dropped their last meeting, 1-0 on Oct. 6, 2013 in West Lafayette, Ind.
Purdue (5-2-1, 1-1 Big Ten) will definitely put the Wildcats' defensive and offensive prowess to the test. The shot-minded Boilermakers currently lead the Big Ten Conference with 141 or an average 17 shots fired per game. 'Cats freshman goalkeeper Lauren Clem has so far guarded the net fiercely with 28 saves to her credit in eight games, putting her among the stingiest goalkeepers in the conference (2nd in shutouts and 4th in saves). In her young collegiate career, Clem has earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor with back-to-back shutouts of Missouri and Saint Louis on the road. Her eight saves against reigning Big Ten champion Nebraska on the road proved crucial to defending a 1-1 tie.
Purdue's scoring tandem of sophomore forward Maddie Williams and senior Alex Hairston will challenge Clem. Williams, who leads the conference in shots and is tied for third in points, posted her third career multi-goal game on Sunday against Ohio State. Hairston set-up two scores to tie Purdue women's soccer all-time assist record en route to the team's third win in the last four years against the Buckeyes. The Boilermakers dropped its Big Ten opener, 1-0 against No. 8 Penn State.
With all festivities commemorating the program's 20-year history with a special alumni weekend, plenty of activities await fans on both days. On Friday, Girl Scouts and Northwestern Women's Soccer campers are invited to participate in a pregame clinic and receive $3 tickets. RSVP by emailing wildcatmarketing@northwestern.edu.
The women's soccer match against Indiana on Sunday is part of a soccer doubleheader with the men's Big Ten home opener against Michigan. Tickets are good for the 'Cats women's soccer game at noon and for the men's soccer game at 4 p.m.
Alums planning to return to Evanston for the weekend are encouraged to RSVP with this link or by contacting NU assistant coachShannon Neely(shannon.neely@northwestern.edu).
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