The Northwestern men’s soccer team learned an important lesson when it last played Michigan — don’t let Knox Cameron touch the ball.
Cameron, the Wolverines’ star midfielder, victimized the Wildcats (8-11, 0-6 Big Ten) at home on Oct. 27, scoring two goals in what ended as a 5-0 loss for NU, its worst of the season.
But fortunately for the Cats, Cameron will not be at Penn State when NU faces Michigan (9-6-2, 3-3) today in the first round of the Big Ten championships. A six-time member of the Under-20 U.S. Men’s National Team, Cameron will be in Charleston, S.C., this weekend for the FIFA World Youth Championship qualifying match.
“He’s a big part of that team, with his size and talent,” NU coach Tim Lenahan said of the 6-foot-3, 209-pound Cameron. “Certainly, we’re not upset that the U-20 qualifier is this weekend.”
When the Cats last faced the Wolverines, they matched up well, despite the five-goal deficit. NU held the usually high-powered Michigan attack to 12 shots and kept pace with 10 of its own.
“We watched the tape, and we actually did a pretty good job of creating opportunities in the box,” Lenahan said. “They did a great job finishing, and we didn’t do a great job finishing.”
But the absence of Cameron may not be the equalizer that NU is anticipating. His replacement, J
