Nov. 20, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern makes its fourth NCAA tournament appearance in the last five seasons as it hosts local foe Loyola University Chicago in a first-round matchup Friday night at Lakeside Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The winner of the contest advances to face 12th-seeded Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., next Tuesday. A free live video stream of the contest will be available at NUsports.com with Dan Platt and Wildcat head women's soccer coach Stephanie Erickson on the call.
NCAA Tournament History
All four of Northwestern's all-time NCAA appearances have come in the last five seasons. The Wildcats sport a 4-3 record in NCAA play, including three wins in 2006 en route to advancing to the quarterfinal round. A year ago, NU was the No. 9 overall seed and earned a first-round bye before falling to UIC 2-0 at Lakeside Field.
Looking Back on the Big Ten Tournament
NU posted a 2-1 double-overtime win over Penn State in the opening round of last week's Big Ten tournament in Madison, Wis., before falling 1-0 to eventual champion Michigan State in the semifinal round. Matt Eliason's goal with just 4:40 remaining in regulation forced overtime against the Nittany Lions. Carl Pett was then able clean up a scrum in front of the PSU goal 3:19 into the second extra session to give the Wildcats the win. The following day against the Spartans, a foul in the box early in the second half led to a penalty kick that MSU converted for the lone goal of the match. Northwestern had a couple great chances in the final seven minutes to tie the match but was unable to cash in. Eliason and Brian Usinger were named to the all-tournament team.
Establishing a Winning Legacy
The last five seasons should prove that the Wildcats have established themselves as a force in the Big Ten. Northwestern has posted 12 Big Ten victories from 2004-08. In the previous 13 seasons, NU recorded a combined four wins in conference play. The Wildcats have also posted double-digit win totals overall in four of the last five seasons. Northwestern had just four other 10-plus win campaigns from 1980-2003, including none since 1988.
A Record-Setting Season
Northwestern's 12-3-2 record mark's the program's best regular season record in school history, besting the 2007 team's 11-3-3 mark. The Wildcats went undefeated through their first 13 matches (11-0-2) before falling to Michigan Oct. 25. The previous best for the number of matches to open a campaign without a loss was eight set in 2007 (7-0-1). The Wildcats' three straight wins to open the 2008 Big Ten season were also a school record. The program had never before won more than one game to open conference play. The three victories also match the mark for the most Big Ten wins in a season in program history. The Wildcats fell four spots to No. 17 in this week's NSCAA poll. Their ranking of No. 2 earlier this season was the program's highest ever. NU's previous high ranking was No. 3, achieved in 2007.
Four Wildcats Named All-Big Ten
Matt Eliason headed the Northwestern selections on the All-Big Ten teams when they were released last week. The sophomore forward was named to the first team while senior defender Drew Ratner, junior defender Mark Blades and junior goalkeeper Misha Rosenthal were all second-team picks. In addition, Peter O'Neill was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, while senior midfielder Tyler Voigt was honored as the team's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient.
Pett and Ratner Named Second-Team Academic All-Americans
Northwestern redshirt senior defender Drew Ratner and redshirt junior Carl Pett were each named this week to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America Second Team as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Ratner, a psychology major who graduated this past May and deferred medical school, sports a 3.62 grade point average. On the field, he has anchored a Northwestern defense that has posted a school-record 11 shutouts this season. Pett has a 3.61 GPA while majoring in English with a minor in business institutions.
Up Next...
The winner of the match between the Wildcats and the Ramblers advances to face 12th-seeded Notre Dame next Tuesday, Nov. 25 in South Bend, Ind. The contest is set to begin at 6 p.m. Central time.