NU Faces Washington State to Kick Off NCAA Tournament

NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S SOCCER: MATCH INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	STREAM	LIVE STATS
Saturday, Nov. 14	Washington State	7 p.m. CST	Pullman, Wash. (Lower Soccer Field)	Pac-12 LIVE	GameTracker
Social: Twitter (@NUWSoccer and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@NUWSoccer) \| Facebook 2015 Northwestern Women's Soccer Record Book

NUSports.com exclusive feature: Wildcats Embrace the Process
A story about head coach Michael Moynihan and the culture change of the Northwestern women's soccer program.

EVANSTON, Ill. –The Northwestern Wildcats (13-5-2, 7-3-1 B1G) travel to Pullman, Washington to face the Washington State Cougars (14-5-0, 7-4-0 Pac-12) on Saturday, Nov. 14, in the first round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. The match marks the #B1GCats' third trip to the Big Dance, and their first appearance since 1998. Saturday marks the first ever meeting between the two programs.

The match can be followed with live stats on NUSports.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 WASHINGTON STATE
• Washington State is making its fifth-straight and 10^th overall NCAA appearance.
• WSU is 2-7-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, and has hosted the opening round for three-consecutive years.
• The Cougars have found most of their success away from home, boasting a 9-1 overall record on the road.
• Washington State concluded the 2015 regular-season in third place in the Pac-12 Conference.
• WSU currently ranks No. 28 in the most recent RPI rankings
• The Cougars are led by Kaitlyn Johnson who has logged seven goals and six assists in 2015.

YOU CAN DANCE IF YOU WANT TO
On Monday, Nov. 9, the NCAA Tournament selection committee announced that Northwestern punched its tickets to NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. The 'Cats last reached the Tournament in 1998, where the team defeated Evansville and Baylor, before falling to eventual NCAA champions Florida in a tight 1-0 contest in the Round of 16. Northwestern's only other appearance came in 1996 where they fell to Wisconsin in the first round.

Four other Big Ten programs earned berths to the Tournament: Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Penn State. The conference sends the fourth most teams of any conference to the Tournament, following just behind the ACC (eight), the SEC (six) and the Pac-12 (six).

EN ROUTE TO THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
The #B1GCats left Champaign, Ill., in the final week of regular-season play with a 2-0 victory over Illinois to a secure spot in the Big Ten Tournament. In the regular-season finale, Northwestern pulled off a thrilling double-overtime win over No. 25 Wisconsin to claim the No. 4 seed in the league Tournament to mark the second-straight Big Ten Tournament appearance for the #B1GCats.

QUARTET OF WILDCATS EARN ALL-B1G HONORS
Four Wildcats earned postseason Big Ten honors this year.

Forward Addie Stiener was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team, while freshmen Marisa Viggiano and Kayla Sharples were named to the All-Freshman Team. In addition, senior co-captain Nandi Mehta earned a spot as a Sportsmanship Award Honoree.

Steiner has now been named All-Big Ten Second Team for two-consecutive years. The juniors' 21 points in 2015 rank sixth in the Big Ten as Steiner ranks among the league's top 10 in assists, goals and shots. Steiner started in all 19 of the Wildcats' regular-season matches and leads the team with seven goals and just as many assists.

BETWEEN THE PIPES
Sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Clem was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 24.
Clem has been a solid presence for the Wildcats' defense this year, playing nearly every minute of the 2015 season. So far this year, she has recorded 11 clean sheets, allowing just 11 goals. As of Nov. 12, Northwestern's .550 shutout percentage ranks 18th in the country. Clem's goals-against-average (GAA) in 2015 is currently .531 to rank 8th in the country, which is on pace to break her own single season record from her 2014 campaign, where she registered a .810 GAA.

NATIONALLY RANKED
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.
The Wildcats are currently receiving votes in the NSCAA poll.

BALANCED ATTACK
Eleven Wildcats have registered goals so far this year. Junior Addie Steiner leads NU with 21 points (7g, 7a) through 20 matches, while co-captain Niki Sebo has five goals and a pair of assists on the year. Steiner and Sophomores Michelle Manning and Nandi Mehta 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 a pair of goals is sophomore Maria Fayeulle and junior Maria Grygleski.

NCAA RPI REPORT
The NCAA released its RPI report on Monday and the Northwestern women's soccer team checked in at No. 44 in the country. Ten Big Ten teams currently sit among the top 55, and five of them reached the NCAA tournament.

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.

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, the largest incoming class since his arrival in 2012. The team's top two scorers from last season –Addie Steiner and Michelle Manning – are 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 20 matches and currently leads the 'Cats with 21 points (7g, 7a). She registered goals against North Dakota and Boston University, and provided an assist to the game-winning golden goal against Colorado. Four 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. She struck again against Illinois and Wisconsin, tucking home a pair of goals in each game.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
With Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium under renovation this fall, Northwestern will play seven home contests at Toyota Park (home of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire), one at Evanston Township and one at New Trier HS. The Wildcats have lost just three games (6-3-1) at "home" this year: succumbing to then-No. 12 Penn State, and falling to Nebraska in a tight 1-0 contest. The Wildcats also hosted Michigan at New Trier HS in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, where they fell 1-0.

NU Faces Washington State to Kick Off NCAA Tournament

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Players Mentioned

Nandi Mehta

Kayla Sharples

Marisa Viggiano

Northwestern University Athletics