Oct. 25, 2006
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern (10-6, 2-4 Big Ten) wraps up the regular-season Friday when they welcome in No. 24 Northern Illinois (12-4-1, 4-1 Mid-American) to the Thomas Athletic Complex. Game time is 3 p.m., with the 2006 seniors being honored prior to the game.
This year's senior class enters Friday's match attempting to tie the all-time mark for the winningest senior class in the program's history. They are already the winningest class since Big Ten play started in 1991. This year's class has 41 headed into Friday and have more than a great chance to tie and surpass the 18-year-old record by season's end. The 1988 seniors went out with 42 combined wins from 1985-88. Those being honored prior to the start of the game are Gerardo Alvarez, John Carlstedt, Daniel Chille, Jeff Mills, Kyle Moore, Rich Nassif, Will Nicholas, Brad North, Justin Pines and Daniel Pydo.
The Wildcats had to swallow what was one of their toughest losses of the season last Sunday at Michigan State. Leading 1-0 in the second half, the Spartans took advantage of a miscommunication error by Northwestern and tied the game late to force overtime. Michigan State then capped the comeback with a goal in the second overtime for the win. David Roth scored the lone Northwestern goal in the first half.
But despite the current slide, Northwestern will have confidence on their side headed into this year's Big Ten Tournament. By proving over recent year's -- and especially this season -- that they can play with any team in the conference, the 'Cats know they have as good of a chance as anyone to claim this year's tournament title. Three of their four conference setbacks were by one goal while defeating Ohio State and Michigan by two-goal margins.
But first the Wildcats know they can't look past a very good Northern Illinois team on Friday -- a Huskie team that ranks among the national leaders in defense.
"Northern Illinois has had a terrific season to date and coach Simmons has done a wonderful job in building that program," coach Lenahan said. "It is a very important game for both teams to not only gain momentum going into conference tournament play, but also an important regional game. We have played very well at home this year and I expect us to do so this Friday.
"It also is senior day and this group has been among the most successful teams ever over the course of their four years -- and certainly the most successful since Big Ten play started in 1991. With a new facility in the works for next year, it would be a great tribute to this group to see them end their careers with a victory on what will be the last game regular-season game ever on the current field."
The Huskies are one of the surprise teams in the country this season with a 12-4-1 mark and a 4-1 record in Mid-American Conference play -- while defeating two Big Ten squads this season. The two teams have seen one another twice this year -- taking part in each school's early season tournaments -- but not squaring off against one another until Friday. Northern Illinois is one of the top defensive units in the country. Goalkeeper Joe Zimka leads the NCAA in goals-against-average (0.10) and save percentage (0.97). As a team the Huskies have 11 shutouts on the season, which is second-best in the nation. Marcus McCarty, a prime candidate for MAC Player of the Year, leads the NIU attack with nine goals and 22 points on the season, both tops in MAC. Luis De La Cerda is second with four goals while Kevin Woerner leads the team with five assists to go with seven points. NIU is coached by Steve Simmons who is in his fourth season in DeKalb.
NIU leads the all-time series with the Wildcats 15-5-3, though, the Wildcats have won the last two meetings, including last year's game game 1-0 in DeKalb. NU also won 2-0 in 2002 and tied 2-2 in 2001. The last win by the Huskies was in 2000, a 3-2 win in Evanston.
RPI REPORT: The Wildcats are ranked No. 28 in the latest Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) released by the NCAA on Oct. 24. Northwestern is the third-highest Big Ten team in the standings behind Indiana (9) and Penn State (27). NIU is right on the Wildcats' heels in the No. 29 spot. A win over the Huskies and/or a good run in the Big Ten Tournament should be enough to get the Wildcats into this year's NCAA Tournament.
Midfielder Carl Pett leads Northwestern and the Big Ten in assists this season with eight and is ranked 15th nationally as of Oct. 23. 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 seven goals and 18 total points and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Sept. 11. 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. 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 8-1 this season when he records at least one point in goal or assist fashion.
(Big Ten stats as of Oct. 23) The Wildcats are among the leaders in several Big Ten statistical categories. Northwestern leads the Big Ten in assists (25), assists per game (1.56) and total points (71).The 'Cats rank second in goals (23) and goals per game (1.44). Individually, Carl Pett leads the conference in assists (8) and assists per game (0.53). David Roth is tied for first with three game-winning goals, total goals (7) and is second in points (18) and first in points per game (1.12). He also is tied for fourth with four assists and fifth in assists per game. Brad North is tied for fourth with 12 points and five goals and sixth with 0.75 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 10-6 this season, giving Lenahan a combined 34-19-4 record over the last two-plus years, a .631 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. This year's senior class has the chance to be the winningest class in history with two more victories. They enter Friday with 41 wins, the record being 42 during 1985-88.
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-three (23) 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 6-1 when scoring first.
Behind two Brad North goals and another one by David Roth, the Wildcats did something Sept. 17 they haven't done in 13 years: beat Ohio State. Northwestern defeated the Buckeyes 3-1 and snapped a 15-match winless streak against OSU. Once again, the Wildcats came back from a 1-0 deficit at halftime -- the third time in four games--and won. They regrouped at halftime and didn't take long to tie it up as Carl Pett fed a streaking North who fired it past OSU's keeper into the right side of the net six minutes into the half. Five minutes later, Pett fed Roth in a similar fashion, as Roth took the pass and shook his way past OSU's keeper who was charging on the play, and tapped it in for the easy goal and the 2-1 lead. Then in the 63rd minute, Northwestern added an insurance goal when North tallied his second goal of the day with an assist from Eamon O'Neill.
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.
Freshman Eamon O'Neill registered the first points of his career in the win over UC Irvine on Sept. 4 and later notched the game-winner in the victory over Loyola Sept. 27. The Wilmington, Del. native first assisted on Daniel Chille's second half goal to tie the game and later scored the game-winner unassisted to give the Wildcats the victory. O'Neill later added an assist in the big win over Ohio State Sept. 17. O'Neill has two goals and three assists this season and is fourth on the team with seven points. Chille, who has been out with a hamstring injury of late, has two goals and one dish for five points. Geoff Fallon has four points this season (2g, 2a) while Drew Ratner has two goals.
Starting goalkeeper Will Briley is 8-6 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 16 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 six conference games, he has only given up more than one goal on two occasions -- one a double overtime contest.
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.
Freshman Mark Blades has established himself in the Wildcat backline this season and is one of the top freshman defenders, if not the best, in the Big Ten. In the opening weekend of the season, he picked up Lakeside Classic MVP honors as NU defeated Hofstra and Dayton. Blades' quickness, speed and athleticism in the back smothered the opposition's attack throughout both games and has continued that trend throughout the season. A Lakewood, Ohio native, Blades was the 2005 Ohio Player of the Year for Cleveland-St. Ignatius. Blades recorded his first point as a Wildcat Sept. 24 against Penn State when he assisted on Brad North's goal late in the second half. He then tallied his first career goal in the win over Valparaiso Oct. 4.
There were no push-overs on this year's schedule. Twelve of the 17 teams on the regular-season slate finished last season with a winning record, with six of those teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
Tim Lenahan's 2006 freshman class was ranked the 21st best recruiting class in the country according to collegesoccernews.com. In addition, two of those incoming freshmen, Eamon O'Neill and Mark Blades, have been named among the "top 100 freshmen to keep and eye on" this season. Indiana was the only other Big Ten school ranked above Northwestern. O'Neill and Blades, both highly recruited NSCAA high school all-Americans, are part of a very talented six-member incoming class. Blades, a Lakewood, Ohio native who led his high school to two state championships, was named the 2005 Ohio Player of the Year after recording 17 career goals and 41 assists. O'Neill hails from Wilmington, Del. where he took his Salesianum High School team to three state championships, recording 69 career goals and 64 assists and was named the Delaware Player of the Year in recognition of his outstanding efforts.
NEXT UP: This year's Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Ohio State Nov. 2-5 in Columbus, Ohio.