Wildcats Set for Showdown at Illinois

No. 24 NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S SOCCER: MATCH INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	LIVE STATS
Saturday, Oct. 24	Illinois	6 p.m. CST	Champaign, Ill.	SideArm
Social: Twitter (@NUWSoccer and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@NUWSoccer) \| Facebook 2015 Northwestern Women's Soccer Record Book

EVANSTON, Ill. – With just a pair of Big Ten matches left in its schedule, Northwestern makes the drive down I-57 to Champaign on Saturday, October 24^thfor a clash with Illinois.

The match can be followed with live stats on NUSports.com (via FightingIllini.com), and scoring updates will be provided on the @NU_SportsLIVE twitter account, where fans will find the most up to date news and content.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS
• Illinois soccer team is ranked 55th in the RPI, released on Monday, Oct. 19.
• Illinois has nine wins to its name this season, just one shy of a sixth season with double digit wins for the Illini, all with Head Coach Janet Rayfield at the helm.
• Senior forward Jannelle Flaws is among the top forwards in the conference, leading the Big Ten in points behind her placing her nine goals in 73 shots, third and ninth in conference respectively, as well as tallying six assists, also second in conference.

NATIONALLY RANKED
The Wildcats were ranked in the last three editions of the NSCAA Division I Women's National Poll from September 29^th to October 19^th - ranked as high as 22^nd. The program still received three votes.

The Wildcats entered the NSCAA poll on Sept. 29 after a win over then-No. 11 Rutgers. It was the first national ranking for the Wildcats under head coach Michael Moynihan and the first since 2010, when the team was ranked 14th in the Soccer America poll. Northwestern had not appeared in the NSCAA polls since 1998 when the squad went 16-5-1 with a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.

BALANCED ATTACK
Nine Wildcats have registered goals so far this year. Junior Addie Steiner leads NU with 16 points (5g, 6a) through 17 matches, while co-captain Niki Sebo has four goals and a pair of assists on the year. Sophomore Michelle Manning and Nandi Mehta, meanwhile, pace the Wildcats with two game-winners apiece. Mehta's most recent game winning goal came in the 94th minute against then-No.11 Rutgers. Also boasting two goals is sophomore Maria Fayeulle.

NCAA RPI REPORT
The NCAA released its RPI report on Monday and the Northwestern women's soccer team checked in at No. 48 in the country. Eight Big Ten teams currently sit among the top 50.

RPI, or Ratings Percentage Index, is a metric used by the NCAA to rank teams based upon wins and losses within a team's strength of schedule. The ranking takes into account opponents' winning percentages and the winning percentages of those opponents' opponents to calculate how strong a team's record is against the strength of the teams they have faced.

BETWEEN THE PIPES
Sophomore Lauren Clem has been a solid presence for the Wildcats' defense this year, playing in nearly every minute of the 2015 season. So far this year, she has recorded 10 clean sheets, and allowed just nine goals. As of October 22, Northwestern's .588 shutout percentage ranks 20th in the country. Clem's goals-against-average (GAA) in 2015 is currently .513 to rank 14th in the country.

In her 2014 campaign, Clem registered a .810 GAA, the best average in a single season in Northwestern program history.

NON-CONFERENCE WRAP UP
The Wildcats opened their 2015 slate with three-straight shutout victories against North Dakota, Valparaiso and Boston University to mark the best start in program history. Northwestern continued play with a 1-0 loss at the hands of Santa Clara on the road, before rebounding with a 1-0-1 weekend at Toyota Park and a 2-0 weekend to close out its non-conference schedule in the Centennial State. Chicago's Big Ten Team claimed a 2-1 victory over Colorado State before closing out its non-conference schedule with a 1-0 overtime win over Pac-12 opponent Colorado.

COACHES CORNER
Now in his fourth season at Northwestern, head coach Michael Moynihan will utilize a mix of experience and newcomers for the 2015 season with starters from last year returning along with the addition of 11 freshmen. This group of newcomers is the largest incoming class since Moynihan's arrival in 2012. The team's top two goal-scorers from last season –Addie Steiner and Michelle Manning – will be back for the Wildcats in 2015.

STUNNING STEINER
Steiner, who was named to the 2014 All-Big Ten second team, returned to the pitch after an impressive sophomore campaign. Last year, the Prairie Village, Kansas, native led the team in goals with a career-high 10, including a team-best four game winning goals.

So far this year, Steiner has started in all 17 matches and currently leads the 'Cats with 16 points (5g, 6a). She registered goals against North Dakota and Boston University, and provided an assist to the game-winning golden goal against Colorado. Three weeks ago she scored a brace to lead the Wildcats past Maryland, 2-0. Her assist to Niki Sebo lifted Northwestern over Michigan State, before capping off the 4-0 thrashing of Iowa with a 72^nd minute strike.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Northwestern played seven home contests at Toyota Park - home of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire - one home match at Evanston Township and one contest at New Trier HS while renovations continue on Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium through the fall. The Wildcats have lost just two games (5-2-1) at "home" this year to then-No. 12 Penn State, and falling to Nebraska in a tight 1-0 contest.

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Players Mentioned

Niki Sebo

Northwestern University Athletics