Dec. 6, 2008
Box Score
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- In its second trip to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight in three years, Northwestern saw its postseason run come to an end with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of 13th-seeded North Carolina at Fetzler Field in Chapel Hill, N.C. Saturday. Northwestern finished the year with a school-record-tying 15 wins.
Junior goalkeeper Misha Rosenthal stopped four shots in the contest.
“I'm very proud of our guys,” said head coach Tim Lenahan. “Not just for this year but for this group of seniors, they're the winningest group in school history and they've done a great job. It came down to one play and North Carolina is a very talented team but I thought we played a great game.”
“We've known the whole time who we are as a team,” Rosenthal said. “We've been tested over and over with some of our games this year so we knew exactly what to expect from this game but sometimes you come up a little short. I don't think anyone on our team is surprised that we are where we are.”
North Carolina's game-winning chance came in the 61st minute after a scuffle in front led to a Tar Heels corner. Northwestern managed to clear the initial cross, but UNC served in another ball that deflected off an NU defender and landed at the feet of North Carolina's Kirk Urso. The Tar Heel freshman slotted the ball in the far panel to give UNC the lead.
Northwestern pressed furiously to find the equalizer and generated several legitimate scoring opportunities in the final minutes. Freshman forward Oliver Kupe made a run on the endline before sliding the ball to Jack Hillgard at the corner of the 6-yard box, but Hillgard's shot was blocked by a sliding Haggerty.
For the game, the Tar Heels managed to outshoot Northwestern by a 15-9 margin.
The majority of chances in the first half came via set pieces for both teams. Northwestern created a scoring opportunity in the first minute off a free kick from the left side when forward Matt Eliason was left unmarked in front of the goal, but his header to the far post fell just wide.
Just five minutes later, an endline cross from Piero Bellizzi found Tyler Voigt at the right corner of the box, but Voigt's shot went just high to the near post.
In the 10th minute, North Carolina's Urso unleashed a dangerous header off a corner kick but it found the frame's outside netting.
The action picked up in the 25th minute as Northwestern earned back-to-back corner kicks. On NU's first attempt, Cody Stanley attempted a bicycle kick off a bouncing ball in the 6-yard box that forced a save by Tar Heels goal keeper Brooks Haggerty. On the ensuing play, Brian Usinger managed a shot that was headed for the target until it was blocked by a Carolina defender.
Usinger and Eliason led NU with two shots apiece.
Defender Drew Ratner also got on the receiving end of a Mark Blades corner, elevating for a header that went just over the crossbar as the game entered the intermission in a scoreless draw.
Ten minutes into the second frame, Northwestern committed a foul just inches outside its penalty area. Urso hit his first shot straight into the Wildcats' defensive wall and fired a shot well over the crossbar on the rebound.
With just over 19 minutes to play, Rosenthal kept the 'Cats in the game with a diving save to his right on a low, close-range shot by UNC's Billy Schuler.
Northwestern was one of just two Big Ten teams still standing in the Elite Eight, joining Indiana, who plays Saturday at St. John's.