Oct. 20, 2006
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern (10-5, 2-3) closes out the Big Ten portion of the regular-season at 1 p.m. CT this Sunday when they take on the Michigan State Spartans (8-5-2, 0-2-2) in East Lansing. A win will move the Wildcats to 3-3 in the Big Ten, matching the most conference wins in the Tim Lenahan era since the team went 3-2-1 in 2004. The 'Cats will have their hands full, however, against a tough Spartan team who, despite zero wins in the Big Ten, have taken every Big Ten team they have faced to the wire.
Other than the 3-1 loss at Penn State, Michigan State has battled both Wisconsin and Michigan to ties and dropped a close 2-1 match against the Indiana Hoosiers. Both NU and MSU enter the game with a chip on their shoulder, as the Wildcats need to keep winning to help solidify their NCAA chances while the Spartans are hungry for their first Big Ten win of the season.
The Wildcats have been playing some excellent soccer of late and snapped a two-game skid last Sunday with a 2-0 shutout win over Michigan at home. The previous two defeats were by one goal to top 20 teams in No. 14 Indiana and No. 17 UIC--both of which were on the road and games that could have easily went the other direction for NU. Now, after a breakout game offensively against the Wolverines, the Wildcats seem to have the monkey off their backs heading into the last two games of the regular-season. NU's final game will be at home next Friday, Oct. 27 against No. 19 Northern Illinois.
"We have been playing very, very well over the last four games and look to continue that trend this
weekend," Lenahan said. "Michigan State is a very good team and it has been difficult for teams to get results on the road this year in the Big Ten. But I think this group is up to the task."
Michigan State enters the game winners of its last two against Loyola (Ill.) and Valparaiso on Wednesday. They too were in the midst of a slump before the Loyola game, going five-straight games without a win. Leading the MSU attack is junior forward Kenzo Webster who has six goals and one assist on the season and leads the team with three game-winners. Senior midfielder Matt Kreikemeier is second with four goals while Kevin Reiman leads the team with three assists. Senior Jason Tillman has made all 15 starts between the pipes. He has 41 saves and has allowed 14 goals. The Spartans are coached by Joe Baum who is in his 30th season in East Lansing.
Midfielder Carl Pett leads Northwestern and the Big Ten in assists this season with eight and is ranked 12th nationally as of Oct. 15. The red-shirt freshman is a prime candidate for all-Big Ten freshman honors. When Pett is on his game, the Wildcats win--NU is a perfect 6-0 when Pett records at least one assist. He assisted on the game-tying and game-winning goals in the huge win over Ohio State on Sept. 17, had two assists in the win over Michigan Oct. 15 and also assisted on the game-winning goal in the win over Loyola Sept. 27. He scored his lone goal in the win over Drake at the Northern Illinois Tournament. He is third on the team with 10 points.
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. Roth scored three goals to help the Wildcats go 2-0 and clinch the championship of the Adidas/Baymont Inn Invitational in September. 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 then had one goal and one assist in the 4-2 win over Valparaiso Oct. 4. The Wildcats are 8-0 this season when he records at least one point in goal or assist fashion.
(Big Ten stats as of Oct. 15) The Wildcats are among the leaders in several Big Ten statistical categories. Northwestern leads the Big Ten in assists (25), assists per game (1.67) and team saves (60). They are second in points (69) and corners (85) and third in goals (22) and goals per game (1.47). Individually, Carl Pett leads the conference in assists (8) and assists per game (0.57) and is tied for ninth with 10 points. David Roth is tied for first with three game-winning goals, total goals (6) and is second in both points (16) and points per game (1.07). He also is tied for fourth with four assists and seventh in assists per game. Brad North is tied for third with 12 points, tied for fourth with five goals and sixth with 0.80 points per game. Eamon O'Neill and Gerardo Alvarez are both tied for eighth with three assists.
Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Tim Lenahan, the Northwestern's men's soccer program is on the rise. The Wildcats are 10-5 this season, giving Lenahan a combined 34-18-4 record over the last two-plus years, a .642 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.
Senior forward Brad North is second on the team with five goals and two assists for 12 points. He was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 18 in recognition of his play in the win over Ohio State -- the second for the Wildcats in as many weeks. He also was named to the National Teams of the Week by College Soccer News, SoccerAmerica.com and TopDrawerSoccer.com. A first-team all-Big Ten selection last season, North tallied two goals in Northwestern's 3-1 win over the Buckeyes, helping the Wildcats defeat Ohio State for the first time in 13 years. Down 1-0 at halftime, North tied the game up six minutes into the second half with his second goal of the season. He then added an insurance goal, his third of the year, later in the half to give the 'Cats the 3-1 win, helping Northwestern win its conference opener for the first time in the coach Lenahan era. North also has tallied Big Ten goals against Penn State and Michigan.
Midfielder Will Nicholas sustained a season-ending knee injury in the win over Loyola 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.
Twenty-two (22) goals have been scored by Northwestern this year, with 16 of those coming in the second half. The Wildcats have made a living by saving their best for last with comeback win after win. On a more impressive note, NU is 9-2 this season when holding opponents under two goals, 8-0 when scoring multiple goals and 6-0 when scoring first.
Senior Gerardo Alvarez, hobbled by a foot injury for part of the season, is still searching for his first goal of the season, but has made up for it in other areas with three assists -- good for third on the team. Alvarez, a two-time all-Big Ten selection and the 2003 Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is tied for first on NU's all-time assist list (24), is second in points (72) and tied for fourth with 24 goals. Alvarez took a team-high six shots in the narrow loss to No. 17 UIC Oct. 11.
Starting goalkeeper Will Briley is 8-5 this season with 49 saves and five shutouts. Briley shared time in goal last season with Misha Rosenthal and earned all-Big Ten freshman team honors. Briley, a starter in all 14 games, posted a season-high five saves in four different games this season. He has seven career shutouts. Briley has allowed one or fewer goals 11 times this season. In five conference games, the only time he has given up more than one goal was the 2-0 loss at Wisconsin.
Goalkeeper Justin Pines has also played important minutes for the Wildcats in the back-up role. Pines, who picked up his first win since the 2004 season in the win at UC-Irvine, made four saves and held the Anteaters scoreless as the Wildcats came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit. Pines then played the entire second half in the win over Drake, holding them scoreless as Northwestern again came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit. Pines has played in a total of six games this year (142 minutes) with seven saves and allowing just one goal in over three halves of play. With his powerful leg, Pines is usually inserted when the 'Cats are desperately searching for offense. His goalkicks often land near the opposition's box, giving NU more chances to strike.
Barring a home NCAA Tournament match, the Wildcats will be at home one final time this season when they take on Northern Illinois at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. This year's Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Ohio State Nov. 2-5 in Columbus, Ohio.
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