Dec. 31, 2004
2004 Final Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
EVANSTON, Ill. - The 2004 campaign proved to be a successful one for a youthful women's soccer team, which advanced to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2001 on the strength of its best conference record since 1998.
Bolstered by an unbeaten home slate, the Wildcats went 5-4-1 in Big Ten play, just the second time in the program's 11-year history the 'Cats posted a winning conference record. Overall, NU went 8-1-2 on the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex pitch; in fact, since the field's name was changed from Lakeside Field to the Thomas Complex, the 'Cats are 13-3-3.
Northwestern received the fifth seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but fell to Illinois in the first round and was unable to come up with an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
"Anytime you can make solid progress -- increasing your record while maintaining a strong schedule, earning a Big Ten berth -- you know that you have momentum going in the right direction," said NU head coach Jenny Haigh. "That is what we accomplished this year; we created more momentum for our program, which was already moving in the right direction.
"I am really pleased with the group that is coming back," she continued. "We will be experienced; and these women have a high set of expectations and are willing to set their sights on the next big thing for this program."
The surprise of the season had to be freshman sensation Kelsey Hans (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville). The forward set the school record for goals in a season with 15, eclipsing by one the standard set by current Wildcat assistant coach Stephanie Erickson. In addition, Hans set school marks for goals (7) and points (15) in Big Ten play en route to garnering second-team All-Big Ten as well as a spot on the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team.
"Kelsey had a good year," said Haigh. "She showed that she can really impact a game with her explosive ability, air game, and strength. We are excited to continue to work with her, because we think she will only get better and that is exciting. Having a consistent scorer was huge toward our success."
Hans was joined on the All-Big Ten second team by sophomore midfielder Shannon Schneeman (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall). Schneeman established a record by scoring four times in NU's early 5-1 win over Colorado College, and also finished second in the conference with five Big Ten assists. Northwestern's other second-team All-Big Ten honoree was sophomore goalkeeper Whitney Jones (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard West), who had a 1.28 goals-against average for the season and came up big in some of NU's best wins this season.
Kelly Sitkowski (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Conant) also made it to the Big Ten's All-Freshman Team.
Northwestern set a record this season by playing eight overtime matches, going 3-3-2. Senior defender Carolyn Hack (Downers Grove, Ill./North) proved to have a flair for the dramatic, as both of her goals this season were OT match-winners.
Did You Know?
Northwestern made its first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2001--current head coach Jenny Haigh's first season at the Wildcat helm.
NU set a program record by playing eight overtime games, going 3-3-2 in those contests.
NU went 8-1-2 at home this season, including a 5-0-1 mark in Big Ten play; since the Wildcats' home park was renamed--from Lakeside Field to Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex--they are 13-3-3.
Three players -- Kelsey Hans (7), Ashleigh Garmon (4) and Tabitha Lowey (3) -- tied or broke the school record for Big Ten goals in a season.