Oct. 21, 2011
Northwestern (7-4-3, 2-0-1 Big Ten) vs. Wisconsin (7-5-2, 3-0-0 Big Ten)
Sun., Oct. 23, 2011, 1 p.m.
Lakeside Field
Evanston, Ill.
Gametracker: NUSports.com
Twitter: @NU_SportsLive
TV: Big Ten Network (Dan Kelly and Chris Doran)
Northwestern Men's Soccer Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. - It's a battle of the Big Ten unbeatens Sunday at Lakeside Field as Northwestern hosts Wisconsin at 1 p.m. Northwestern enters Sunday's match in second place with a 2-0-1 Big Ten record and is chasing Wisconsin who is 3-0-0. For fans who can't make it out to Lakeside Field for Sunday's match, tune into the Big Ten Network to watch the live broadcast with Dan Kelly and Chris Doran on the call.
Last Time Out
Northwestern's match against Loyola Wednesday was canceled meaning the Wildcats have not played since last Sunday at Penn State. Oliver Kupe (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) scored the match's lone goal just under 14 minutes into the second half as Northwestern ran its unbeaten streak to five games by posting a 1-0 win over Penn State at Jeffrey Field. It was the first win ever for the Wildcats against the Nittany Lions on their home pitch. The one goal proved to be enough for freshman goalkeeper Tyler Miller (Woodbury, N.J./Bishop Eustace) and the Northwestern defense. Miller finished with five saves in the contest to earn his seventh shutout of the year.
Scouting Wisconsin
Wisconsin is 7-5-2 on the season and a perfect 3-0-0 in Big Ten action. The Badgers dropped a 2-0 decision at Green Bay Wednesday night after winning back-to-back Big Ten matches against Michigan and Michigan State. Chris Prince leads UW with four goals, which ties for fifth in the Big Ten. In goal, Max Jentsch has played nine games and has a GAA of 0.95 good for fifth in the conference.
Last Time vs. the Badgers
A combined seven goals were put on the board as Northwestern left Madison with a wild 4-3 overtime victory over the Badgers last year. Then-senior Jack Hillgard scored a goal from approximately 70 yards out 4:10 into the overtime period to give NU the win.The Wildcats had the 2-1 lead with seven minutes remaining but Wisconsin's Chris Prince tied things up at 83:09 and he completed a hat trick to put UW up 3-2 with just over five minutes left. NU's Matt Eliason tied the match on a penalty kick goal with 1:14 remaining in regulation to force overtime and set up NU for the win.
Comparing Numbers
Northwestern and Wisconsin are both unbeaten in Big Ten play (three games each) and occupy the top two spots in the conference standings. Here's a look at their numbers in three Big Ten matches:
NU Category UW
32 (6th) Shots 19 (7th)
18 (T-1st) Points 15 (T-4th)
5 (T-3rd) Goals 5 (T-3rd)
1.67 (T-2nd) Goals/Game 1.67 (T-2nd)
2.67 (1st) Assists/Game 1.67 (2nd)
0.93 (2nd) Goals Against Avg. 0.33 (1st)
9 (T-6th) Saves 12 (5th)
1 (T-2nd) Shutouts 2 (1st)
30 (7th) Fouls 46 (2nd)
20 (T-3rd) Corners 11 (T-6th)
Hard to Beat
After starting the season 1-3-1, Northwestern is 6-1-2 in its last nine matches, including a five-game unbeaten streak, which is currently the longest in the Big Ten. The Wildcats are also unbeaten in Big Ten play, posting a 2-0-1 mark in their first three conference matches. The last time NU was unbeaten in its first three Big Ten matches was in 2008 (3-0 to start Big Ten play).
Here's a look at NU's numbers in its five-game unbeaten streak compared to the first nine games:
Last 5 First 9
Goals: 9 8
Goals/game: 1.80 0.89
Opponent goals: 3 10
Opp. goals/game: 0.60 1.11
Shots/game: 8.4 12.4
Points: 30 23
Saves: 18 21
Shutouts 3 4
Significant Streaks
This is not the first five-match unbeaten streak in the Tim Lenahan era. In 11 seasons with Northwestern, the Wildcats have had eight streaks of at least five or more games where NU either won or tied in every match (including the current streak). Here is a look at the longest unbeaten streaks in the Lenahan era:
*13 games: Aug. 29 - Oct. 22, 2008
10 games: Sept. 11 - Oct. 14, 2009
8 games: Aug. 31 - Sept. 26, 2007
6 games: Sept. 5 - Sept. 24, 2004
5 games: Sept. 12 - Sept. 28, 2003
5 games: Oct. 18- Oct. 24, 2004
5 games: Sept. 4 - Sept. 20, 2006
5 games: Oct. 1, 2011 - Present
*Indicates program record
Up Next
Northwestern closes out its three-match homestand, playing its final regular season home game against Indiana on Sunday, Oct. 30. Match time is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the team will recognize seniors Lucas Swertloff, Oliver Kupe and Peter O'Neill for Senior Day.
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