Oct. 6, 2006
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Wildcats (9-3, 1-2) return to Big Ten action this weekend on the road when they head to Bloomington, Ind. for a Saturday night match with 14th-ranked Indiana (7-3-2, 1-0-1). Game time is 6 p.m. CT.
The Wildcats have had good success against the Hoosiers in recent years. The last time Northwestern visited Bloomington in 2004, they knocked off the then No. 3-ranked team in the land -- head coach Tim Lenahan's first Big Ten win and his 150th overall -- before battling to a 1-1 tie last season in Evanston. The win in 2004 was monumental, marking Northwestern's first ever win over Indiana -- the defending and eventual national champions -- and NU's first Big Ten regular-season win since 1999.
This is the first of a tough road stretch with three of the next four away from home. After Saturday's road contest, NU battles cross-town rival and No. 18 UIC in Chicago next Wednesday night -- two critical games that have huge implications on Northwestern's NCAA at-large chances at season's end. After that a home date with Michigan Oct. 15 breaks up the bus trips for a weekend before the final Big Ten match in East Lansing, Mich. against the Spartans Oct. 22. The Wildcats round out the regular-season at home against Northern Illinois Friday, Oct. 27.
"Indiana is a great place to play if you are a college soccer player," head coach Tim Lenahan said. "The crowd, the band and the atmosphere are second-to-none. We have historically played pretty well down there -- whether it be against Indiana or in the Big Ten Tournament. I am looking forward to another great Big Ten game and a great night of soccer by both teams."
The 14th-ranked Hoosiers started off slow this season (2-2-1), but have played like the Indiana of old lately, winning four of their last five games, with the only non-win coming in a 2-2 tie against Michigan Sept. 24 at home. They have faced four top 15 teams this season, beginning the season with a 1-0 double-overtime win against No. 8 Creighton. A 1-1 tie against No. 2 UConn and one-goal defeats to No. 15 Notre Dame and No. 3 SMU later followed. Freshman Darren Yeagle, the reigning Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, leads IU in scoring with 11 points (5g, 1a) while Kevin Robinson is right behind with 10 points (3g, 4a). Brian Ackely also poses a scoring threat with four goals on the season. Chay Cain has played 10 games in goal, making 25 saves and allowing just eight goals. He has three shutouts and a 6-2-2 record. Indiana is coached by Mike Freitag who is in his third year as head coach after spending the previous 11 as an assistant under Jerry Yeagley.
Senior midfielder Will Nicholas sustained a season-ending knee injury in the win over Loyola last Wednesday, Sept. 27 and will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee on Oct. 3. This is Nicholas' third ACL injury in addition to a broken leg sustained his sophomore season in 2004 against Evansville. He suffered his first ACL tear to his left knee during his senior year at Parkland High School in Orefield, Pa. After the broken leg in 2004, his past two seasons have been cut short with ACL injuries to his right knee on both occasions.
LAST TIME OUT: Seven different Wildcats recorded at least one point Wednesday as Northwestern defeated Valparaiso 4-2 at a windy and chilly Lakeside Field in Evanston. David Roth and Geoff Fallon each had a goal and an assist on the afternoon. The Wildcats had the wind to their backs in the first period and took full advantage, outshooting the Crusaders 11-1 in the half. Drew Ratner scored the first goal of the match, his second of the season, when he was the recipient of Roth's free kick that bounced off the post and right into his lap directly in front of the goal for the 1-0 lead. The 'Cats then extended the game to 2-0 when freshman defender Mark Blades notched his first collegiate goal off a deep assist from fellow classmate Eamon O'Neill. Northwestern then had to battle the high winds in the second half, but it hardly effected its offense as goals by Fallon (69th minute) and Roth (75th minute) made the score 4-0 in favor of the Wildcats. Brad North and Carl Pett assisted on Fallon's goal while Fallon assisted on Roth's team-best sixth goal of the season. Will Briley (7-3) picked up the victory in goal, making five saves.
Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Tim Lenahan, the Northwestern's men's soccer program is on the rise. The Wildcats are 9-3 this season, giving Lenahan a combined 33-16-4 record over the last two-plus years, a .660 winning percentage. Northwestern is coming off two of the most successful seasons in its history, going a program-best 15-6-2 in 2004 -- which included the program's first trip to the NCAA Tournament -- before turning in another winning season last year (9-7-2) despite a lot of youth and injuries. This year the Wildcats started off 7-1 -- the best start in program history and leaped to No. 14 in the national rankings. It was the highest ranking in program history which came off the heels of a 3-1 win over Ohio State whom the 'Cats had not defeated in 13 years prior.
(Big Ten stats as of Oct. 5) The Wildcats are among the leaders in several Big Ten statistical categories. Northwestern leads the conference in points (62), goals (20), goals per game (1.67), assists (22) and assists per game (1.83) and are second with 49 saves. Individually, Carl Pett leads the conference in assists (6) and assists per game (0.55) while Gerardo Alvarez is sixth and tied for third in both categories, respectively, with three assists. Junior David Roth is tied for first with three game-winning goals and six total goals and is second in points (16), points per game (1.33) and goals per game (0.45). Senior Brad North is sixth in the league in goals (4) and seventh in goals per game (0.33) and points per game (0.83).
Junior midfielder David Roth is having an MVP caliber season for Northwestern. The St. Louis native leads the Wildcats with six goals and 16 total points and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 11. It was the first honor of Roth's career and the first for the Wildcats this season. Roth scored three goals to help the Wildcats go 2-0 and clinch the championship of the Adidas/Baymont Inn Invitational in Sept. He tallied both Northwestern goals in the 2-0 win over Bradley before scoring his third goal of the weekend against Drake in the second half to tie the game at 1-1. Roth also scored the game-winner in the win over Ohio State Sept. 17 -- the first win over the Buckeyes in 13 years. He has three game-winners in all.
This bunch likes to save their best for last. Through 12 games, the Wildcats have either been behind or tied at the half 10 times, only to come away victorious on seven of those 10 occasions. Twenty goals have been scored by Northwestern this year, with 16 of those coming in the second half. They are 4-2 when tied at the half and 3-1 when trailing. On a more impressive note, NU is 8-0 this season when holding opponents under two goals, 7-0 when scoring multiple goals and 5-0 when scoring first.
Sophomore midfielder Carl Pett leads Northwestern and the Big Ten in assists this season with six and assisted on the game-tying and game-winning goals in the win over Ohio State on Sept. 17. He also assisted on the game-winning goal in the win over Loyola Sept. 27.
The Wildcats hit the road again next Wednesday locally when they take on No. 18 UIC in Chicago. Game time is 7 p.m.
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