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| No. 7 Northwestern vs. No. 9 Duke |
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| Date | Saturday, Nov. 15 | 1 p.m. CT |
| Location | Francis E. Henry Stadium | Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| Live Stream | GoHeels.com |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Twitter Updates | @NU_SportsLIVE |
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF) | Digital Tournament Program
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Seventh-ranked Northwestern makes its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1994 as it takes on No. 9 Duke in Chapel Hill, N.C. The contest gets underway at 1 p.m. Central time.
The matchup following the first game of the day between top-ranked North Carolina and Liberty. Both matches are being streamed free of charge at GoHeels.com. Saturday's winners square off at 1 p.m. CT with a berth in next week's NCAA semifinal round in College Park, Md., on the line.
"We're looking forward to a great matchup Saturday and hopefully we'll come out and play our best," Northwestern head coach Tracey Fuchs said. "We've gotten better each year and we have a lot of balance offensively. We've won some of those games that we just couldn't pull off two or three years ago."
"We solidified our position by winning the Big Ten tournament which was really pleasing to me and the team. The more you get into championship games, the better you are. Duke, North Carolina and Liberty have all been in them. We're just looking forward to having a great weekend and seeing how we match up against some of the best teams in the country."
The Wildcats are making their 13th NCAA tournament appearance in school history. Northwestern competed in the NCAA tourney each year from 1982-94 with the exception of 1992.
Northwestern (16-6) earned an automatic bid to the tournament by virtue of winning last weekend's Big Ten tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. The 'Cats defeated No. 15 Iowa in Thursday's quarterfinal round before beating host and 12th-ranked Michigan by the same score in overtime in Friday's second semifinal. Northwestern punched its ticket by taking down second-ranked and top-seeded Maryland 3-1 in Sunday's championship game.
Senior goalkeeper Maddy Carpenter was recognized as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after allowing a combined three goals while making 18 total saves in the three victories. Sophomore Dominique Masters also earned a spot on the all-tournament team as she tallied three goals on the weekend, including both against Michigan and a late insurance goal vs. Maryland.
Masters paces a balanced Northwestern attack with 15 goals. Isabel Flens has contributed 12 goals and Caroline Troncelliti has added 11.
Carpenter, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, sports 54 career victories with a 1.25 goals-against average and a .750 save percentage this season. She was joined on the All-Big Ten first team by junior back Lisa McCarthy (6g, 14a), while junior midfielder Charlotte Martin (team-leading 17 assists) earned a second-team selection.
Scouting Duke
The Blue Devils (12-6) boast one of the top defenses in the country behind goalkeeper Lauren Blazing. The redshirt junior ranks among the nation's leaders with a 1.10 goals-against average and a .780 save percentage. Duke has allowed only 20 goals in its 18 matches this season. Offensively, Jessica Buttinger leads the team with 7 goals and 6 assists, while Aileen Johnson is close behind with 6 goals and 6 assists. Duke was defeated by North Carolina 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinal round of the ACC tournament on a penalty-stroke goal.
Series History
Northwestern holds a slim 3-2 edge in its all-time series with Duke. The Wildcats defeated the Blue Devils in Durham each of the last two seasons. No. 11 NU scored the first four goals of the game in topping No. 9 Duke 4-2 on Sept. 9, 2012. The Wildcats were ranked No. 13 when they beat the ninth-ranked Blue Devils 3-2 Sept. 20, 2013 as Caroline Troncelliti scored the game-winner with 8:12 remaining. Northwestern has won the only neutral-site matchup between the teams 4-3 Sept. 8, 1996 in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
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