Aug. 30, 2007
NU Women's Soccer Game Notes (Drake/Nebraska)
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern is set to open its season with a pair of road contests at Drake and Nebraska. The 'Cats begin their season at 6 p.m. Friday at Drake before traveling to Lincoln, Neb., for a match against the Cornhuskers at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. NU opens the schedule with four-straight road tilts before returning to Evanston to face Loyola (Chicago) on Sept. 12.
The Wildcats return 10-of-11 starters from last year's team including all but three goals from a squad that finished third in the Big Ten in goals. Senior Kelsey Hans (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville) -- who is joined by seven other seniors on this year's team -- sits one goal behind head coach Stephanie Erickson for the Northwestern all-time record.
Multimedia
Watch a video season preview with senior Shannon Schneeman on NUSports.com All-Access.
Erickson talk about the team's conditioning entering the season.
Erickson talk about depth at goalkeeper.
Erickson explain her team's style of play.
Erickson's position-by-position preview.
Quoting Coach Erickson
"We have a great opening weekend ahead of us," Erickson said. "Drake and Nebraska are both well-coached and extremely competitive challenges for us as we open things up. We will know right where we stand at the conclusion of this weekend. We have been focused and intense in our preparation and we are excited to begin the season."
Schneeman Supplies Offense; 'Cats Top DePaul in Exhibition, 1-0
Behind a Shannon Schneeman (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) goal in the first half, Northwestern topped DePaul in its lone exhibition contest of the 2007 season, 1-0.
Schneeman's goal at the 28:50 mark was all the offense NU would need to upend the Blue Demons. The fifth-year senior took a long serve from junior Laura Janowitsch (Grafton, Wis./Grafton) and beat the keeper on a one-v-one opportunity.
The Wildcats played three of their four goalkeepers in the exhibition. Senior Lauren Johnston (Denver, Colo./Denver East) got the start and made two saves in one half of action. Freshmen Carolyn Edwards (Lincolnshire, Ill./Stevenson) and Grace Weitz (Golden Valley, Minn./The Breck School) split time in the second frame.
NU out shot DePaul 15-7 as 11 of the shots were on goal. Sophomore Alicia Herczeg (Agoura Hills, Calif./Agoura) and Hans both notched four shots while Schneeman had two.
Erickson let many of her 'Cats see the field in the exhibition as 22 Wildcats saw action.
"We went very deep on our bench and learned a lot," Erickson said. "I was very happy with how we competed in the second half."
Back to the Big Ten Tourney
In 2006, the Wildcats made a return to the Big Ten Tournament after missing the field in 2005. With four wins in Big Ten play -- including one over then-16th-ranked Indiana -- NU doubled its conference win total from 2005. The 'Cats tied for seventh place in the standings and had the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Wildcats fell to top-seeded and eventual champion Penn State in an exciting evening contest, 3-2.
Lorme Making Them Count
Junior Jeanette Lorme's (Santa Clarita, Calif./Saugus) two goals in 2006 were both of the game-winning variety. Lorme has six career goals and four of them have been game-winners. Lorme gave NU its first Big Ten win of the season when she scored to give NU a 1-0 in the conference opener against Iowa.
Well Dunn
Junior Jenny Dunn (Pacific Palisades, Calif./Louisville) is off to a fast start in her Northwestern career. Dunn notched 14 points with six goals in her freshman year in 2005, but became a more complete player in her sophomore season. Dunn led the team in assists with five and also chipped in five goals. She scored a season-high two goals against Western Michigan and scored a goal in NU's Big Ten Tournament game against Penn State.
All In The Family
The Class of 2011 keeps a family tradition alive for another four years. Alison Schneeman (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall), sister of current Wildcat, Shannon, will follow in her sister's footsteps and don the purple and white this fall. "Four more years of a Schneeman in our program is such a great gift," Erickson said.
Seniors' Discount
Northwestern returns eight seniors for the 2007 campaign. Erickson will look for Caitlin Carr (Cordova, Tenn./St. Mary's), Leslie Gittings (State College, Pa./State College Area), Hans, Danielle Iordanou (Upper Brookville, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy), Johnston, Stephanie Krutsch (Bloomington, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels), Schneeman and Kelly Sitkowski (Elk Grove Village, Ill./Conant) to provide leadership.
For complete game notes, click the .pdf link above.