Friday, September 14
Madison, Wis.
7 p.m.
Northwestern
at
#22 Wisconsin
Undefeated Wildcats Open Big Ten Play on Road This Weekend
9/12/2018 4:04:00 PM | Women's Soccer
| 2018 NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S SOCCER | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (CT) | LOCATION | WATCH | LIVE STATS | |
| Friday, Sept. 14 | No. 22 Wisconsin | 7 p.m. | Madison, Wis. | N/A | Sidearm | |
| Sunday, Sept. 16 |
Minnesota | 1 p.m. | Minneapolis, Minn. | BTN2GO | Sidearm | |
| Match Notes (PDF) | Social: Twitter (@NUWSoccer) | Instagram (@NUWSoccer) | Facebook | ||||||
EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 12 Northwestern opens up Big Ten play this weekend with a road trip to No. 22 Wisconsin on Friday and Minnesota on Sunday.
The Wildcats jumped three spots in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll after their last week out, when they defeated Loyola Marymount, 1-0, and Bowling Green, 2-0. Their 6-0-1 record so far is the third-longest unbeaten streak in program history, behind marks of nine and ten set in 2016 and 1998, respectively.
Senior Brenna Lovera scored all three goals last week and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. She leads the team in points having totaled four goals and one assist.
First year Julietta Thron was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for assisting two of Lovera's goals and playing in the backline that posted its fifth and sixth straight shutout of the season.
The Wildcats have conceded just one goal in 2018, which came in the opening match against Miami of Ohio. The 'Cats are now riding a scoreless streak of 611:47, the second-longest streak in program history. The longest streak of 658:58 was set by Lauren Clem in 2016, and can be broken with 47:09 more scoreless minutes from the defense against the Badgers.
First year goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood is tied for the most shutouts nationally with six while ranking second in save percentage (.958) and third in goals-against-average (.138). Wood is 261st nationally in saves per game in a testament to how many shots on goal the defense gives up.
The Wildcats have had 12 different players record either an assist or a goal this season in a balanced offense. Thron and senior Nikia Smith each have two assists each.
Last year, the Wildcats defeated Wisconsin twice, first in a 2-0 win in the regular season and then in a 2-1 double overtime win in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament to advance to the program's first conference championship match since 1997. Senior center back Hannah Davison scored the first goal against the Badgers in the second match.
Northwestern also knocked off Minnesota, 2-0, last year in the regular season behind goals from Brenna Lovera and Michele Chernesky.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
No. 22 Wisconsin
The Badgers are off to a strong 6-1 start this season with notable Power-5 wins over Washington and Kentucky. Their only loss so far was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of No. 3 Florida State.
Sophomore Lauren Rice has led the way so far with four goals and two assists while classmate Cameron Murtha has two goals and four assists. In addition to Murtha, senior midfielder Victoria Pickett and junior forward Dani Rhodes were both named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List. Pickett and Rhodes were also both named to the Mac Hermann Trophy Watch list along with Wildcat midfielder Marisa Viggiano.
Junior goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer has played every minute for Wisconsin, allowing seven goals in seven games and keeping two shutouts against Marquette and Illinois State. She has a save percentage of .708.
Minnesota
The Golden Gophers are 4-3 after a challenging non-conference slate. They took No. 1 Stanford to overtime but lost 2-1, while also dropping results to No. 22 Washington State and DePaul. Minnesota owns impressive resume-building wins against Utah and Ole Miss.
Senior April Bockin has two goals and three assists but is the only multi-goal scorer despite five other players having at least a goal and an assist each. Bockin was selected to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List along with senior Molly Fiedler, who has a goal and two assists, and senior midfielder Emily Heslin.
Sophomore Maddie Nielsen has played all but 30 minutes through seven games and has given up seven goals while posting a save percentage of .750.
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Players Mentioned
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