EVANSTON, Ill. -- After a three-point effort on Sunday against Maryland that included the decisive golden goal in overtime, Wildcats midfielder Cole Missimo has been honored as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, the Conference announced on Monday.
Missimo was seemingly all over Lakeside Field against the Terrapins, and his energy from the opening whistle paid off quickly. Less than three minutes into the contest, the junior fielded a pass from teammate Brandon Medina and threaded a pass that Henry Herrill deposited into an open net for a 1-0 Northwestern lead.
Eight minutes later Medina and Missimo linked up again, with Cole this time finding classmate Joey Calistri in front of an open goal at the end of a nifty bit of tic-tac-toe passing to give the home side a 2-0 advantage over the 2013 NCAA runners-up, and back-to-back College Cup participant.
But the Dallas native saved the best for last. After Maryland tied the game late in regulation Missimo sent the Lakeside Field crowd happy early in the first overtime period. An aggressive and determined play by Calistri on the end line held a ball in that appeared to surely be headed out of bounds, after which he sent a low pass to a Missimo darting towards goal. The junior midfielder hit it with his first touch into the back of the net for his team-leading fourth goal of the season and a 3-2 Wildcats win over the Terrapins, a perennial national power.
Missimo is the second Wildcats player to be honored by the Big Ten this season, after goalkeeper Tyler Miller was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week on the heels of setting the school shutout record, and is Northwestern's first Offensive Player of the Week since Brandon Medina on Sept. 30, 2013.
Miller and the 'Cats will be back in action on Wednesday, when they visit Northern Illinois in DeKalb.
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