'Cats Kick Off Big Ten Slate at Purdue, Indiana

NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S SOCCER: MATCH INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	BROADCAST	LIVE STATS
Friday, Sept. 18	Purdue	6 p.m. CST	Boilermaker Soccer Complex (West Lafayette,Ind.)	BTNPlus	GameTracker
Sunday, Sept. 20	Indiana	11 a.m. CST	Yeagley Field (Bloomington, Ind.)	Big Ten Network	Sidearm
Social: Twitter (@NUWSoccer and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (@NUWSoccer) \| Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern \| Indiana \| Purdue 2015 Northwestern Women's Soccer Record Book

EVANSTON, Ill. - 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 the weekend with a 1-0 overtime win over Pac-12 opponent Colorado. Northwestern opens Big Ten play this weekend with a pair of matches at Purdue and Indiana.

Both Friday and Sunday's matches can be followed with live stats on on NUSports.com, courtesy of PurdueSports.com and IUHoosiers.com. Both games can be viewed live on BTN Plus and Big Ten Network, respectively. 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 PURDUE (5-2-0, 0-0-0 B1G)
• The Boilermakers are under the guidance of new head coach Drew Roff.

• Purdue welcomed five newcomers to the 2015 roster, including three transfer players.

• The Boilermakers closed out the 2014 season with a 6-11-2 overall record and finished last in the Big Ten with just two conference wins.

• Maddy Williams leads the squad with 13 points (6g, 1a), while Hannah Leinert follows behind with 11 points (4g, 3a).

• Purdue also faced off against Missouri earlier this season, dropping the decision 3-2 in double overtime.

• The Boilermakers have won 11 consecutive games vs. Northwestern.

SCOUTING INDIANA (3-3-2, 0-0-0 B1G)
• The Hoosiers welcomed eight new players to the 2015 roster, including seven freshmen.

• Indiana returned starter Jessie Bujouves, who led the Hoosiers in goals last season with eight.

• The Hoosiers posted a 7-11-1 mark in 2014. The defense proved to be the squad's strength as Indiana surrendered just 25 goals, the fewest since allowing 22 during the 2009 campaign.

• IU finished up the non-conference portion of the season with a 3-3-2 mark and recorded a scoreless streak of 463 minutes that ranged from Aug. 21 to Sept. 6.

•Sunday's game is the 24th time the two teams have faced off as Indiana holds a 11-10-2 series edge.

WILD FACTS: NU'S TOP STORYLINES, STREAKS & TRENDS

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 eight matches and currently leads the 'Cats with seven points (2g, 3a). She registered goals against North Dakota and Boston University, and provided an assist to the game-winning golden goal against Colorado last weekend.

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 helped anchor the squad to five shutouts, including three to start the season. Clem owns a .360 goals against average to rank third in the Big Ten and 11th in the country. The sophomore has given up just three goals all season, while recording 24 saves.

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

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 25-33-9 overall record during his tenure in Evanston and a 8-24-3 mark in Big Ten play.

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 are unbeaten (3-0-1) at "home" this year.

MARVELOUS MEHTA
Last year, Nandi Mehta was chosen as one of five junior Northwestern student-athlete winners of the NU For Life Irving Kabiller Memorial Award for Excellence in Character, Commitment, and Community. As a winner, she received a $5,000 grant for her own professional development and she used it to attend the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in February and, over the summer, to work with a faculty member at the University of Geneva in Switzerland on reforming medical policy.

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 a goal 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 66 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.

FLASHBACK TO 2014
Chicago's Big Ten Team upset the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions in the opening-round of 2014 Big Ten Tournament for the squad's first tournament win since 1997, and their first win over perennial national power Penn State since 1998.

The #B1GCats also secured wins over four ranked opponents including Marquette (No. 15), Illinois (No. 19), Rutgers (No. 14) and Penn State. Northwestern's nine wins in 2014 were the most under Moynihan.

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'Cats Kick Off Big Ten Slate at Purdue, Indiana

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Players Mentioned

Lauren Clem

Michelle Manning

Margo McGinty

Nandi Mehta

Addie Steiner

Northwestern University Athletics