PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- A pair of second-half goals and yet another sterling performance byTyler Miller and the Wildcats defense led No. 19 Northwestern to a 2-0 road win over Rutgers on Saturday night. Cole Missimo and Mike Roberge dented the net in the victory.
It was chippy from the get-go on Saturday night in Piscataway. Two early yellow cards were awarded and the fouls piled up in Northwestern's first trip to New Jersey since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten.
The two teams navigated the first 45 minutes without either side capitalizing on offense, but the visitors struck early in the second half. In the 58th minute junior Cole Missimofinished a cross from Drew Rosenberg near the right post for his team-leading fifth goal the season. The Dallas native has stepped up this year in the clutch, with three of his five markers standing up as game-winners.
Northwestern nailed down the victory in the 81st minute when Mike Roberge netted his first goal of the season with assists credited to Grant Wilson and Nikko Boxall.
The Northwestern defense was tested, but gave up very few quality opportunities or shots that made it to their target. Despite finishing with 12 fouls on the day, the `Cats held strong and didn't allow the Scarlet Knights to do anything with their free kicks.
Senior goalkeeper Tyler Miller preserved the clean sheet for his Big Ten-leading eighth shutout of the season and the program-record 35th of his career in Evanston. The Wildcats have been stout on defense throughout the 2014 season, ranking eighth in the nation in goals-against average.
The Wildcats will have a little more than a week of rest before they continue their stretch of five consecutive road games with a trip to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans (8-2-2). The Spartans are on a hot streak, having won six of their last eight games.
Head coach Tim Lenahan's squad is also on a hot streak, having lost only one of their last eight contests. With Saturday's victory, No. 19 Northwestern is now 7-2-4 overall and 2-1-2 in the Big Ten.
It was chippy from the get-go on Saturday night in Piscataway. Two early yellow cards were awarded and the fouls piled up in Northwestern's first trip to New Jersey since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten.
The two teams navigated the first 45 minutes without either side capitalizing on offense, but the visitors struck early in the second half. In the 58th minute junior Cole Missimofinished a cross from Drew Rosenberg near the right post for his team-leading fifth goal the season. The Dallas native has stepped up this year in the clutch, with three of his five markers standing up as game-winners.
Northwestern nailed down the victory in the 81st minute when Mike Roberge netted his first goal of the season with assists credited to Grant Wilson and Nikko Boxall.
The Northwestern defense was tested, but gave up very few quality opportunities or shots that made it to their target. Despite finishing with 12 fouls on the day, the `Cats held strong and didn't allow the Scarlet Knights to do anything with their free kicks.
Senior goalkeeper Tyler Miller preserved the clean sheet for his Big Ten-leading eighth shutout of the season and the program-record 35th of his career in Evanston. The Wildcats have been stout on defense throughout the 2014 season, ranking eighth in the nation in goals-against average.
The Wildcats will have a little more than a week of rest before they continue their stretch of five consecutive road games with a trip to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans (8-2-2). The Spartans are on a hot streak, having won six of their last eight games.
Head coach Tim Lenahan's squad is also on a hot streak, having lost only one of their last eight contests. With Saturday's victory, No. 19 Northwestern is now 7-2-4 overall and 2-1-2 in the Big Ten.