EVANSTON, Ill. — The Northwestern men's soccer program announced its offseason spring slate on Thursday, featuring matchups against nearby Division I competition as well as the Chicago Cup in late April.
"The winter and spring is one of the most important times for every program as it truly is a rebirth of the team," said head coach Tim Lenahan. "New roles are established for upper-classmen in terms of leadership and freshmen are now sophomores. Every one gets to play a substantial amount so we really are looking for those players that want to take that next step in their development while reestablishing team culture."
The squad has already played three games in the spring schedule, including wins over Marquette and Vaughn.
On April 3, Northwestern will play a back-to-back versus Bradley and Lewis at the renovated Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium. The following week, the 'Cats will travel to Rockford to play DePaul in the Chicago Cup Semifinals on April 9.
The #B1GCats finish the campaign with two more competition dates. On April 16, NU plays Benedictine and Olivet Nazarene. The Chicago Cup Final takes place at home versus either UIC or Loyola at 1:30 p.m.
"We try to find a balance in the schedule of challenging ourselves against top Division I programs and playing some teams from different Chicago-area teams that we wouldn't otherwise play in the fall," Lenahan said. "This year the Cup is split over two weekends which will make the challenge even tougher. We will have our work cut out for us as we shoot for a fifth-straight Chicago Cup."
Schedule:
"The winter and spring is one of the most important times for every program as it truly is a rebirth of the team," said head coach Tim Lenahan. "New roles are established for upper-classmen in terms of leadership and freshmen are now sophomores. Every one gets to play a substantial amount so we really are looking for those players that want to take that next step in their development while reestablishing team culture."
The squad has already played three games in the spring schedule, including wins over Marquette and Vaughn.
On April 3, Northwestern will play a back-to-back versus Bradley and Lewis at the renovated Lanny & Sharon Martin Stadium. The following week, the 'Cats will travel to Rockford to play DePaul in the Chicago Cup Semifinals on April 9.
The #B1GCats finish the campaign with two more competition dates. On April 16, NU plays Benedictine and Olivet Nazarene. The Chicago Cup Final takes place at home versus either UIC or Loyola at 1:30 p.m.
"We try to find a balance in the schedule of challenging ourselves against top Division I programs and playing some teams from different Chicago-area teams that we wouldn't otherwise play in the fall," Lenahan said. "This year the Cup is split over two weekends which will make the challenge even tougher. We will have our work cut out for us as we shoot for a fifth-straight Chicago Cup."
Schedule:
- April 3, Northwestern vs. Bradley (12:30 p.m.)
- April 3, Northwestern vs. Lewis (1:45 p.m.)
- April 9, Northwestern vs. DePaul (12:00 p.m. @ Rockford [Chicago Cup Semi-Finals])
- April 16, Northwestern vs. Benedictine (3:15 p.m.)
- April 16, Northwestern vs. Olivet Nazarene (5:45 p.m.)
- April 23, Northwestern vs. UIC/Loyola (1:30 p.m. [Chicago Cup Final])