Oct. 13, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's women's soccer team (7-6-1, 0-5-1) will look to turn its luck around and keep its Big Ten tournament hopes alive this weekend when they welcome Indiana (5-7-1, 1-4) and No. 23 Purdue (8-5, 4-1) to Evanston. The Wildcats host the Hoosiers at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14 before wrapping up the weekend at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16 against the Boilermakers. Both games are at the Thomas Athletic Complex located along the shore of Lake Michigan.
After four straight narrow defeats, Northwestern will look to end the regular-season on a high note and earn a Big Ten tournament berth. NU's final four Big Ten games are all at home where the Wildcats are 12-3-2 in the past two seasons. The Wildcats finish the regular-season with Ohio State (10/21) and Wisconsin (10/28) and face crosstown foe Illinois-Chicago in between Oct. 23 in Evanston.
"We're ready for this weekend," head coach Jenny Haigh said. "We've played some great soccer over the last few weekends and are frustrated over our lack of results. However, our team is doing an outstanding job staying focused, positive and motivated so we can do everything in our power to play great soccer AND find a result. We're glad to be at home through this crucial stretch of the season. We certainly love playing at home."
Recapping the Weekend
The Wildcats dropped two close games last weekend at Michigan and Michigan State. On Friday, a late Michigan goal in the 87th minute broke a 2-2 tie and handed Northwestern a 3-2 loss. With NU down 2-1 with 16 minutes left, freshman Jenny Dunn found fellow classmate Alex Covington on a cross as Covington knocked in the goal while falling to the ground to tie the game. But just when it appeared the game might be headed to overtime, Michigan found the back of the net one last time with 3:41 left to play for the game-winner.
Then on Sunday, the Wildcats dropped another one-goal game at Michigan State, despite outplaying the Spartans for a majority of the game. After trailing 1-0 at halftime, Kelsey Hans tied the game in the 76th minute off a corner play with an assist from Jeanette Lorme. But Michigan State knocked in the game-winner five minutes later when Emma Harris recorded her second goal of the game in the 81st minute.
Moving Up the Charts
With her goal at Michigan State last Sunday, sophomore forward Kelsey Hans moved into sole possession of second place on NU's all-time goals list with 21. With more than two years left, she is on pace to shatter the mark of 29 held by Stephanie Erickson (1994-97). In addition, junior goalkeeper Whitney Jones is tied for second on the all-time shutout list with 13, 11 under the record of 24 held by Wendy Scholz (1994-97).
A Glance at the Wildcats
After beginning the season with seven wins in its first eight games, Northwestern is chomping at the bit to get back in the win column. These Wildcats are no strangers to close games with 11 of NU's 14 games being decided by one goal or less. Sophomore Kelsey Hans leads the team and is tied for sixth in the Big Ten with six goals while freshman Jenny Dunn and senior Tabitha Lowey are tied for ninth in the Big Ten and are second on the team with five goals each. Hans also has three assists for a team-best 15 points and leads the Big Ten with 59 shots, a 4.92 shot per game average. Jeanette Lorme also has been consistent offensively with three goals and a team-best five assists for nine points - including two game-winners vs. UW-Milwaukee and Baylor. In all, 13 different Wildcats have found the scoring column in either goal or assist fashion. In goal, junior Whitney Jones spouts a 7-6-1 record to go with three shutouts and 57 saves, good for fourth in the conference.
As a team the Wildcats are tied for second in the Big Ten with Purdue in goals scored (26) while NU is third in the Big Ten in shots (224) and points (74). The `Cats are outshooting their opponent, 233-161 and are outscoring the opposition, 26-20.
Jenny Haigh is in her fifth season as head coach of the Wildcats. The Wildcats have been a force at home under Haigh, going 17-5-3 in the last two-plus seasons. That includes an 8-1-2 mark in 2004 and a 4-2 mark this season. The Wildcats made a nice leap in the Big Ten standings and regionally in 2004, finishing with 10 wins for the first time since 1998 and qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since Haigh's first season in 2001. NU went 5-4-1 in conference play, its first Big Ten winning record since 1998.
Indiana
The Hoosiers have struggled in 2005 with a 5-7-1 overall mark and enter the weekend with a 1-4 record in the Big Ten. Kristen Zmijewski and Kristin Radcliffe lead the Hoosiers with four and three goals, respectively. Stacey Van Boxmeer and Lauren Fabbro have shared time in goal with Van Boxmeer getting a majority of the minutes. She has 35 saves with 15 goals allowed. IU is coached by Mick Lyon who is in his fourth season in Bloomington.
Purdue
The 23rd-ranked Boilers enter the weekend winners of three straight and seven of their last eight. They are tied for third in the Big Ten with a 4-1 mark, one and a half games behind conference leader Penn State (6-0). Purdue averages a league-best 19.6 shots per game and is second with 2.17 goals per game. Jessica Okoroafo leads her team and is third Big Ten with nine goals. Purdue is coached by Robert Klatte who is in his seventh season.
Series History
Both Indiana and Purdue own the lead in the all-time series history, however the Wildcats defeated both teams in 2004. The Hoosiers own a slight 6-5-2 advantage with Northwestern but fell 1-0 to the Wildcats last season in Evanston. Purdue has a 4-2 edge in the series but dropped a 2-1 decision last season to Northwestern, also in Evanston.
Next Up
The Wildcats battle Ohio State at 3 p.m. next Friday, Oct. 21 and crosstown foe Loyola-Chicago at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23. NU wraps up the regular-season at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 against Wisconsin.