Aug. 30, 2011
Northwestern (0-3-0) at Saint Mary's (1-1-1)
Thursday, Sept. 1 6 p.m. (CT)
Moraga, Calif. Saint Mary's Stadium
Streaming Video: None
Gametracker: SMCGaels.com
Northwestern at No. 2 Stanford (3-0-1)
Sunday, Sept. 4 2 p.m. (CT)
Stanford, Calif. Laird Q. Cagan Stadium
Streaming Video: None
Gametracker: NUsports.com
The Weekend
Northwestern heads to California for a pair of road matches this weekend. NU will tangle with Saint Mary's on Thursday night before taking on No. 2 Stanford on Sunday afternoon.
Scouting the Gaels
Saint Mary's picked up its first win of the season in its home opener last Friday, a 3-0 victory over George Washington, before falling, 2-0, to Texas Tech. The Gaels have seven starters back from a squad that went 8-7-4 in 2010, including leading scorer Jordan Marada. The sophomore was named to the Preseason All-WCC team in 2011 after being a first-team selection the previous year.
Scouting the Cardinal
Stanford enters Sunday's game on the heels of a 4-1 victory over then-No. 20 Georgetown. The game was moved back to Monday because of Hurricane Irene. The Cardinal are averaging an impressive 3.25 goals per game, and are led by senior Lindsay Taylor's four goals on the year. Stanford has already played three goalkeepers on the season, with Lindsay Dickerson and Emily Oliver splitting starts to this point.
Series Information
The Wildcats and Gaels meet for just the second time this weekend. The previous meeting, in 2001, was a 3-0 Saint Mary's victory in Evanston. Sunday's match will be the first ever meeting between Northwestern and Stanford.
Last Time Out
Senior Emily Langston scored a pair of goals for Northwestern, but the 'Cats dropped both of their matches in 2011 Lakeside Classic last weekend. NU surrendered a goal with just over three minutes remaining in regulation against Cincinnati, then let Dayton score in the second minute of overtime on Sunday.
Looking for the Next Signature Victory
Stanford is ranked No. 2 this week in the NSCAA Top 25. Northwestern women's soccer records are incomplete, but the Cardinal will mark the highest known ranked opponent the Wildcats have ever faced. Last season, NU took on No. 3 UCLA, and beat the Bruins, 1-0.
For more information, view the complete Northwestern weekly game notes 
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