Jan. 9, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After nearly a month-long hiatus, Northwestern returns to dual competition this weekend, traveling to Philadelphia, Pa., to participate in the Penn Invitationals Saturday, Jan. 10. The Wildcats, who enter the weekend with an overall record of 10-0, go head-to-head with five schools.
Head coach Laurie Schiller's squad will meet up with North Carolina at around 1 p.m., followed by a showdown with nationally-ranked Temple at around 2:30 p.m. The Wildcats then face the host Quakers at 4 p.m. and close out the Invitational facing Duke at approximately 5:30 p.m. and Drew at 7 p.m.
Northwestern has fared well in the past against this weekend's opponents, holding the series advantage against three of them. The Wildcats are 26-15 all-time against the Tarheels, 14-5 against Duke and hold a 4-0 record against Drew. Temple holds a 13-11 lead in the all-time series against Northwestern, while Penn is 5-3 against the `Cats.
Schiller's squad looks to repeat last season's perfect 6-0 performance at the Invitationals. Northwestern slipped past Penn 14-13, took care of North Carolina 16-11, defeated Temple 18-9, dominated Drew 21-6 and closed out the day with a 19-8 win over Duke. This will be the first dual competition for the `Cats since dominating the NU Duals back on Nov. 15.