For the past 24 years, the Northwestern men’s soccer team has been off the field and done with play at this point in the season.
But this year, despite losing in the finals of the Big Ten tournament last weekend, NU received one of 48 NCAA tournament bids for the first time in the program’s history.
The Wildcats take on visiting Western Illinois (11-9) at 1:30 p.m., today at Lakeside Field.
“This is a huge step for us,” said forward Brad North. “The goal was definitely to be here by next year. But this is awesome, and more than what I expected. We deserve to be in this tournament.”
If the Cats win, they will move on to face 14th-seeded Creighton (13-4-1) on Tuesday in Omaha, Neb.
“Hot” is the word to describe both NU and Western Illinois right now.
Western Illinois posted four consecutive shutout victories on its way to becoming the Mid-Continental Conference champion and earning its first-ever NCAA bid.
But NU is coming off its best season and its best conference tournament performance in program history. NU posted a 1-0 victory over Penn State and a 5-0 sweep of Michigan before falling to Michigan State 1-0 in the final round.
The Cats have lost only two matches in their last 11 games, outscoring their opponents 23-9 in that span.
“The tournament showed us and everybody that we can play,” said North, who has four game-winning goals this season. “The Michigan game showed what we can do to score, and the first two how to defend. We have total confidence knowing we can play against anybody.”
NU hammered out a 3-0 victory against Western Illinois on Oct. 10, but NU players said the win wasn’t as decisive as it may appear.
The sluggish first half saw only six combined shots from the teams, and two of the NU goals came in the chaos of the game’s last five minutes.
“We had our hands full the first time (we played them), and we’ll expect that on Friday, ” said coach Tim Lenahan, who will make his seventh NCAA tournament appearance.
The Cats have the more balanced attack, with six players posting double-digit points. NU has the Big Ten’s leading scorer in Gerardo Alvarez, who has 32 points, and also David Roth, who is fourth in the nation in assists.
But Western Illinois has Jaman Nawaf, whose 15 goals are 12th in the nation. Nawaf has seven game-winning goals for the Leathernecks.
The home-field advantage may also come into play this weekend. NU is best at home, going 7-2-1 at Lakeside Field this season, while Western Illinois is 4-6 on the road.
To prepare for the game, NU turned down the hotel stay offered by the NCAA but will have a team breakfast to squeeze in last-minute preparations for the biggest game in its history.
“Last game, we had to play with (Western Illinois) the entire game,” North said. “We have to play with the same bite and edge. Hopefully it’ll be a game to remember. Hopefully we’ll be in Omaha next Tuesday.”
Western Illinois (11-9) vs. NU (14-5-2)
When: 1:30 p.m. Today
Where: Lakeside Field
