July 26, 2010
The 2009-10 athletic year at Northwestern University was one to remember. Filled with memorable wins, honors and championships, there was much to be celebrated this past year in Evanston. Be sure to follow along at NUsports.com through August 6 as we take a look back at some of the very best highlights the Wildcats experienced last season.
Original Recap, Box Score, Quotes and Photo Gallery
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's men's soccer team has established itself as one of the elite programs in the Midwest during the Tim Lenahan era. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year in 2009 and their second-round win over Notre Dame is the No. 10 top moment in our end-of-the-year countdown.
Behind two goals by junior midfielder Jack Hillgard and a career-high 11 saves by Misha Rosenthal, NU took down Notre Dame 3-1 on a beautiful November afternoon at Lakeside Field. With the win, the Wildcats eliminated the Fighting Irish from the postseason for the second consecutive year.
After earning a first-round bye thanks to being tabbed the No. 9 tournament seed, the 'Cats matched up against the team they rallied past for a 2-1 win in South Bend one year earlier.
Hillgard entered the contest with only two career goals, but he doubled that total in this particular match on a pair of headers. Piero Bellizzi eventually gave Northwestern a 3-0 second-half lead before Rosenthal did the rest. The NU career leader in shutouts was stellar between the pipes, recording 10 of his saves in the second half to close out his home career a winner. Fellow senior Eamon O'Neill contributed two assists in the victory.
Northwestern advanced to a third-round matchup at eighth-seeded Tulsa, a team it defeated 3-2 in overtime Sept. 13 in DeKalb, Ill. However, the Wildcats saw their season come to an end as they dropped a tough 1-0 decision to the Golden Hurricane on their home pitch.
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