Thursday, October 8
Ann Arbor, Mich.
6 p.m.
Northwestern
at
Michigan
No. 22 NU Faces Michigan, Michigan St., in Two-Game Road Tilt
10/8/2015 10:08:00 AM | Women's Soccer
| NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S SOCCER: MATCH INFORMATION | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | BROADCAST | LIVE STATS | |
| Thursday, Oct. 8 | Michigan | 6 p.m. CST | Ann Arbor, Mich. | BTN Plus | GameTracker | |
| Sunday, Oct. 11 | Michigan St. | 12 p.m. CST | East Lansing, Mich. | BTN Plus | GameTracker | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUWSoccer and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (@NUWSoccer) | Facebook 2015 Northwestern Women's Soccer Record Book | ||||||
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Wildcats head to Michigan this weekend for a pair of games against Michigan and Michigan State. NU will face the Wolverines on Thursday, Oct. 8, before taking on the Spartans on Sunday.
Both Thursday and Sunday's matches can be followed with live stats on on NUSports.com, courtesy of MGoBlue.com and MSUSpartans.com. Both games can be viewed live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go. Scoring updates will be provided on the @NU_SportsLIVE twitter account and fans are encouraged to follow the 'Cats on social media for the most up to date news and content.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
• Michigan jumped from seventh place into a four-way tie for second place in the conference standings at 3-1-1 along with Northwestern, Penn State and Wisconsin.
• Freshman midfielder Abby Kastroll earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Tuesday (Oct. 6).
• Michigan's defense has shutout five opponents this season -- Detroit (3-0), Portland (5-0), Nebraska (2-0), Iowa (1-0) and Maryland (1-0). U-M goalkeepers, sophomore Megan Hinz and sophomore/freshman Sarah Jackson, have shared efforts in those five shutouts.
• Fifty percent of Michigan's roster (14/28) has contributed points in the first 13 matches of the season, with 10 Wolverines netting at least one goal.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
• The Spartan defense held opponents scoreless for 326 minutes until Rutgers broke that streak Oct. 2 in a 1-0 loss.
• Senior goalkeeper Gabrielle Gauruder comes into the week's contests sitting fourth in the Big Ten in saves per game (4.36), fifth in saves for the season (48), and tied for fourth in save percentage (.857). She has four shutouts to her credit.
•Lexy Warner leads the etam with 10 points (3g, 4a) as four different Spartans have registered two or more goals so far in 2015.
NATIONALLY RANKED
Northwestern has been tabbed No. 22 in the latest NSCAA Division I Women's National Poll released on October 6th. The Wildcats are also the third-best team in the Great Lakes region behind Big Ten foes No. 11 Penn State and 14th-ranked Minnesota.
This is 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 has 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 12 points (4g, 4a) through 13 matches. Sophomore Michelle Manning and Nandi Mehta, meanwhile, pace the Wildcats with two game-winners a piece. Mehta's most recent game winning goal came in the 94th minute against then-No.11 Rutgers. Also boasting two goals are senior Niki Sebo and sophomore Maria Fayeulle.
NCAA RPI REPORT
The NCAA released its RPI report on Monday and the Northwestern women's soccer team checked in at an impressive No. 24 in the country. Six Big Ten teams currently sit among the top 30.
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 every minute of the 2015 season. So far this year, she has recorded eight clean sheets. As of October 6th, Northwestern's .615 shutout percentage ranks 14th in the country. Clem's goals-against-average (GAA) in 2015 is currently .517 to rank 18th 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.
Moynihan owns a 26-34-10 overall record during his tenure in Evanston and a 9-25-4 mark in Big Ten play.
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 13 matches and currently leads the 'Cats with 12 points (4g, 4a). She registered goals against North Dakota and Boston University, and provided an assist to the game-winning golden goal against Colorado. Two weeks ago she scored a brace to lead the Wildcdats past Maryland, 2-0.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Northwestern will play 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 one game (5-1-1) at "home" this year.
B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH
Three retuning Wildcats were recently named to the Big Ten preseason Players to Watch List including fifth-year senior midfielder, Nike Sebo senior midfielder Margo McGinty and Steiner.
OH CAPTAIN(S), MY CAPTAIN(S)
Sebo and senior Nandi Mehta will serve as captains for the 2015 squad. Mehta, a two-time captain logged over 1,700 minutes during the 2014 season and registered two goals and two assists. She has started in every game so far this season.
Now in her final year at Northwestern, Sebo has been a steady presence for Northwestern's midfield, playing in 68 matches during her tenure in Evanston. Last season, Sebo logged 1,810 minutes and registered a goal and three assists. The fifth-year senior scored the game-winning goal against Saint Louis on Aug. 7, and registered the Wildcats only goal against Indiana.
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Players Mentioned
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