Oct. 29, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 20 Northwestern will try to give the home crowd at Lakeside Field one final treat this season when it welcomes No. 13 Ohio State to Evanston at 1 p.m. Saturday on Halloween. For six Wildcat seniors, Saturday's matchup marks the last opportunity in their NU careers to play on their home turf, where Northwestern has posted a 6-4 record this season.
ON THE WEB
Northwestern's contest with Ohio State will be available for live viewing in the All-Access video area of NUsports.com. Additionally, fans can follow all of the play-by-play action courtesy of Gametracker and live in-game updates with the username @NU_SportsLIVE on Twitter.
SAYING GOODBYE
One large factor in Northwestern's ascension to the level of a top-20-ranked team has been the contributions and leadership of its core group of seniors, who are playing their final home game on Saturday vs. Ohio State. Three members of that group--Elizabeth Dobbs, Courtney Plaster-Strange and Jill Putnam--have been constant catalysts for NU's offensive attack throughout their careers, combining for 66 career goals and 21 assists. Putnam led the Wildcats in scoring her freshman campaign with 24 points while Dobbs and Plaster-Strange each rank among the Big Ten's top 10 leading goal-scorers this season.
On the other end of the turf, Courtney Coburn, Alyssa Elmy and Stephanie Fortson have been mainstays in the back line and defensive midfield for Northwestern. They have 134 starts among them and this year have helped NU record three shutouts, tied for second in the Big Ten.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
After losing three of its first four games to start the season, No. 13 Ohio State reeled off six wins in a row and has since posted a 3-2 record in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes received a huge offensive jolt this season from freshman Berta Querealt--who leads the squad with 42 points on 15 goals and 12 assists--but have also found consistency from their next three highest scorers, Maria Briones (29 points), Jena Cacciatore (25 points) and Aisling Coyle (21 points).
Northwestern will be looking to extend its slight 26-23-1 edge in the all-time series as well as its 11-9 series lead in games played in Evanston.
UP NEXT
Following its regular-season finale on Saturday, Northwestern will quickly begin preparations for the annual Big Ten tournament, which begins on Thursday, Nov. 5, and is being hosted on the campus of Michigan State.