Dec. 5, 2008
NU Game Notes vs. North Carolina (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern's men's soccer team (15-4-3) finds itself one win shy of its first College Cup appearance as it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face 13th-seeded North Carolina (13-7-1) at 1 p.m. Central time Saturday. This will be NU's second trip to the quarterfinals, matching the 2006 squad's appearance. Gametracker is available for the match and can be accessed via NUsports.com.
NCAA Tournament History
All four of Northwestern's all-time NCAA appearances have come in the last five seasons. The Wildcats sport a 6-3-1 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.
Series History
This will be the first meeting between the Wildcats and UNC. In fact, this will be just the second match ever the 'Cats have played against a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. NU posted a 2-1 win at Duke Oct. 5, 2003.
Looking Back on Akron
Playing in less than ideal weather conditions that featured temperatures in the low 30s, strong winds and freezing rain, NU was able to push across a second-half goal to eliminate fifth-seeded Akron 1-0 Sunday at Lakeside Field in Evanston. The Wildcats had the wind to their advantage in the first half, but were unable to cash in. The Zips were controlling the second half until Jack Hillgard played a through ball to Geoff Fallon that he buried into the upper right corner of the net to put NU ahead. The hosts were able to hold off Akron the rest of the way, despite the Zips holding a 12-2 advantage in shots the second half and a 14-7 edge for the match.
Scouting North Carolina
The Tar Heels dropped five straight contests entering the NCAA Tournament, but still received a first-round bye and have advanced to the quarterfinal round by virtue of a 1-0 win over Jacksonville and a 3-2 overtime victory over UIC. North Carolina is paced in scoring by senior Brian Shriver who has a team-high 13 goals and 31 points. The team ranks seventh in the country with an average of 2.14 goals per game. Senior Jacob Wescoe has seen the majority of the work in goal for the Tar Heels and has a 10-5-1 record, a 1.27 goals-against average and a .623 save percentage. Elmar Bolowich is in his 20th season as the head coach at UNC.
Up Next...
The winner of the match between the Wildcats and the Tar Heels advances to the College Cup in Frisco, Texas, and will take on the winner of the contest between Wake Forest and South Florida Friday, Dec. 12.