Nov. 12, 2004
NU-Michigan Box Score in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In a tournament which saw the No. 2 seed fall in the first round and the No. 1 squad go down in the first semifinal match, No. 3 Northwestern left no doubts Friday that it is the highest seed remaining in the Big Ten Tournament, throttling the host and No. 7-seeded Michigan Wolverines, 5-0.
Northwestern advances to the championship match at 1 p.m. CST Sunday against No. 5 Michigan State. The tourney final will be tape-delay broadcast nationally by CSTV at 8 p.m. CST Monday, Nov. 15.
The win puts Northwestern (14-4-2) into the championship match for the first time in school history. It was the Wildcats' fourth -- and most lopsided -- triumph in Big Ten Tournament history. NU's 14 wins on the season ties the school record set in 1988 and extends the school record for wins over Division I opponents.
The Wildcats have now won their last three meetings with the Wolverines.
The match was not nearly so uneven as the final score. Michigan outshot NU, 16-14, but the Wildcats scored on all five of their shots on goal.
"The match was even, but we scored the goals," NU head coach Tim Lenahan said. "We are last in the Big Ten in shots and first in goals. The guys finished today."
As it has in 15 of its 20 matches this season, Northwestern struck first. At the 13:28 mark of the first half, freshman David Roth (St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade) flicked a pretty ball onto sophomore Brad North (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands), who got past the goalkeeper and put the ball home right at the near post for a 1-0 NU lead.
North found the net again in the 46th minute, taking a service up the middle from sophomore Gerardo Alvarez (Aurora, Ill./Marmion Academy) and putting the ball past Michigan goalkeeper Peter Dzubay.
The goals were North's sixth and seventh of the season.
"Brad got us going," Lenahan said. "His second goal was spectacular."
Just 1:19 later, Roth put the match out of reach when his cross was deflected into the back of the net, giving the Wildcats a 3-0 lead. Alvarez added the fourth score in the 74th minute with a laser beam goal off an Eric Brin (Westlake, Calif./Westlake) set piece.
Alvarez, placed on the All-Big Ten second-team by league coaches, now leads the conference with 12 goals and 32 points.
Junior reserve Dave Vargas (North Olmstead, Ohio/St. Ignatius) put the finishing touches on the win in the 83rd minute, scoring off a set piece. Roth assisted on the goal.
The assists were Roth's 12th and 13th of the season, extending his own Northwestern single-season record. The Big Ten's best setup man now has a four-assist lead on the rest of the conference.
Michigan had its chances early, outshooting NU 10-6 in the first half. Their best opportunity came in the 29th minute, when the Wolverines put a quick one-two combination into the box, but sophomore goalkeeper Justin Pines (Media, Pa./Strath Haven) turned away the point-blank shot with a strong reflex dive.
Pines made four saves for his second shutout of the Big Ten Tournament. He has not allowed a goal in the last 251:46 dating back to the regular season finale with Wisconsin.
In the day's first semifinal, No. 5 Michigan State upset the No. 1 seed, defending Big Ten and NCAA Tournament champion Indiana, 2-1. The Spartans scored first in the match and never trailed en route to MSU's first-ever victory against the Hoosiers. Earlier this season, Northwestern picked up its first win over Indiana in program history.
The Spartans defeated No. 4 Wisconsin, 1-0, Thursday morning in the tournament's first match.