Northwestern University Athletics

This Week with the 'Cats: Week of August 26
8/26/2019 9:11:00 AM | General, Men's Soccer, Women's Cross Country & Track, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Field Hockey
Women's Soccer (Overall: 0-2 | Big Ten: 0-0)
NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S SOCCER: MATCHDAY INFORMATION | |||||
DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | WATCH | LIVE STATS |
Thursday, August 29 | Central Michigan | 7 p.m. | Martin Stadium | BTN+ | Live Stats |
Sunday, September 1 | William & Mary | 1 p.m. | Martin Stadium | BTN+ | Live Stats |
Social: Twitter (@NUWSoccer) | Instagram (@NUWSoccer) | Schedule |
The 'Cats return to Martin Stadium for a pair of lakeside matches against The Central Michigan Chippewas and William & Mary Tribe. NU went wire-to-wire against SMU and the Mustangs 9-4 in the season opener and only allowed one shot on goal, which came on a penalty kick in the first half and was converted by Allie Thornton. In addition, junior midfielder Regan Steigleder has created chances for the Wildcats offense against Notre Dame, nearly bagging a header goal that went just wide of the post and registered a thunderous shot on goal that was denied off a save from the Irish goalkeeper.
Women's Field Hockey (Overall: 0-0 | Big Ten: 0-0)
NORTHWESTERN FIELD HOCKEY: GAMEDAY INFORMATION | ||||
DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | LIVE STATS |
Friday, August 30 | Stanford | 1 p.m. | Palo Alto, Calif. | TBA |
Saturday, August 31 | UConn. | 1 p.m. | Palo Alto, Calif. | TBA |
Monday, September 2 | California | 1 p.m. | Palo Alto, Calif. | TBA |
Social: Twitter (@NUFHCats) | Instagram (@NUFHCats) | Schedule |
Northwestern Football isn't the only team headed out west this weekend. Head coach Tracey Fuchs and the 'Cats will join travel to Palo Alto, Calif., to take on the Stanford Cardinal and Connecticut Huskies on Aug. 30 and 31. In total, the 'Cats have three games slated for the west coast trip, with an upcoming match against the California Golden Bears on Labor Day. Among the 13 players that are returning to the Wildcats' roster, redshirt senior Kirsten Mansfield and redshirt junior Lakin Barry are expected to lead the way offensively. Demonstrating her ability as a pristine two-way player, the defensive-minded Mansfield led NU with 13 assists last season while Barry chipped in six goals and finished second on the team in minutes played.
Men's Soccer (Overall: 0-0 | Big Ten: 0-0)
NORTHWESTERN MEN'S SOCCER: MATCHDAY INFORMATION | |||||
DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | WATCH | LIVE STATS |
Friday, August 30 | UCLA | 4 p.m. | Bloomington, Ind. | BTN+ | Live Stats |
Sunday, September 1 | Pittsburgh | 4 p.m. | Bloomington, Ind. | BTN+ | Live Stats |
Social: Twitter (@NUMensSoccer) | Instagram (@NUSoccer) | Schedule |
After two exhibition matches against UW-Green Bay and Evansville, the Northwestern men's soccer team will open its regular season schedule on Friday, Aug. 30 against the UCLA Bruins in Bloomington, Ind. The 4 p.m. kick off will serve as one of two games for the 'Cats this weekend with a showdown against the ACC foe Pitt on Sunday, Sept. 1. Head coach Tim Lenahan has an experienced group, with six seniors returning for their final campaign. Among that core is senior midfielder Matt Moderwell, who finished second on the team with five goals scored last season and tied for the team lead with 10 shots on goal.
In addition, Northwestern has brought in two new assistant coaches Chris Leer and Devin Rensing. Leer joins Northwestern after coaching at his alma mater, UC Davis, for five seasons, helping the Aggies reach the Big West Tournament in each of the last four years and to a ranking as high as No. 6 in the region in 2017. Rensing joins the Wildcat soccer program after spending the last two years in Madrid, Spain, where he earned his master's degree in Soccer Identification and Development in Talent from Europa Universidad at Real Madrid and was an International Scout for Major League Soccer's Sporting KC.
Women's Volleyball (Overall: 0-0 | Big Ten: 0-0)
NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: TOURNAMENT INFORMATION | ||||
DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | LIVE STATS |
Friday, August 30 | USC Upstate | 4 p.m. | Oxford, Ohio | Live Stats |
Saturday, August 31 | Virginia Tech | 10 a.m. | Oxford, Ohio | Live Stats |
Saturday, August 31 | Miami (OH) | 6 p.m. | Oxford, Ohio | Live Stats | Watch |
Social: Twitter (@NUVball) | Instagram (@NUVball) | Schedule |
The Wildcats head to Oxford, Ohio this weekend for the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational. The season opener will be on Friday, Aug. 30 against the USC Upstate Spartans, followed by two matches on Saturday, Aug. 31 that will feature opponents of Virginia Tech and tournament hosts Miami (OH). Northwestern had a similar slate of games to begin the season last year, winning all three tilts in the Panther Invitational hosted by UW-Milwaukee. Junior Nia Robinson is expected to lead the charge offensively, as she registered a team-leading 394 kills and 426 points over the course of the 2018 campaign.
In addition, the 'Cats welcome the arrival of graduate transfer Payton Chang. A two-time national champion with the Stanford Cardinal, the setter brings valuable experience to the Wildcats who are returning all 19 players from the 2018 season.
"Our staff is incredibly excited to have Payton join our Wildcat family," said head coach Shane Davis. "We believe she will be a phenomenal addition to our team, bringing the leadership and experience of winning on the highest level to help us continue our pursuit of winning on a conference and national level."
Women's Cross Country (Overall: 0-0 | Big Ten: 0-0)
NORTHWESTERN CROSS COUNTRY: MEET DAY INFORMATION | |||
DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION |
Friday, August 30 | Illini Open | 5 p.m. | Champaign, IL |
Social: Twitter (@NUXC_Wildcats) | Instagram (@NUXC_Wildcats) | Schedule |
The Wildcats officially begin their campaign on Friday, Aug. 30 as they travel to Champaign for the Illini Open, hosted by Big Ten and in-state rival, Illinois. Among the more notable names returning for the 'Cats is senior Aubrey Roberts, one of the most decorated student-athletes in Northwestern cross country history. The Eau Claire, Wisc., native is coming off a junior campaign that saw her become the first ever cross country All-American in school history. Her second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships was the best ever for any Wildcat, becoming the second student-athlete of the program to earn All-Big Ten Honors. Her continuous achievements also solidified an appearance in the NCAA Championships, where she earned an 18th place finish.
The meet will also signify the beginning of a new era for the Northwestern Cross Country program, after new head coach Jill Miller took the reins of the team on July 19. Miller joins the Wildcats after serving as the head women's cross country coach at Wisconsin during the 2018-19 season. She was an assistant coach of cross country and track and field the four seasons prior to her promotion before the 2018 campaign. The Badgers earned four top-15 finishes at the NCAA Cross Country Championships during her tenure.
"Northwestern is an amazing community, I can't wait to contribute and help develop our student-athletes to compete for championships and earn one of the premier degrees in college athletics," Miller said after her hiring. "I am grateful to have spent the last five years under Mick Byrne's leadership and for the incredible experiences my student-athletes afforded to me."
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