All but a lock for a bid in the NCAA Tournament, No. 8 Northwestern turns its focus to positioning itself for the Big Ten tournament following its final regular season game against No. 23 Indiana on Friday.
It’s an exciting final weekend for Big Ten soccer.
While Michigan State has already locked up the top seed and the accompanying first-round bye for next week’s tournament, the No. 2 seed is still very much up for grabs.
Michigan currently has the inside track for the second spot with a 3-1-1 conference record, and the Wildcats (12-2-2, 3-2-0 Big Ten) are third in the conference standings. Only two games remain on the Big Ten schedule, Michigan hosts Penn State (2-3-0 Big Ten), and the Hoosiers (2-3-0 Big Ten) host the Cats.
Because NU has already lost to Michigan, they must combine a victory over Indiana with a Penn State victory over Michigan to finish in the second slot.
But while every win is crucial this time of year, the Cats know better than to put too much stock in their conference tournament seeding.
“We’re just not playing for positioning,” coach Tim Lenahan said. “No one cares about seeding in the Big Ten tournament – there are seven teams that can beat each other.”
History backs that claim up. Lenahan pointed to 2004 when NU, seeded third, faced Penn State. The Nittany Lions were ranked 12th in the country that year, and had suffered defeats only to conference opponents. NU, unranked nationally, went on to win the game in overtime. But drawing sixth-seeded Penn State in the tournament provided little advantage.
“Nobody really cares who you play,” Lenahan said. “You’re going to have to play somebody good no matter who you play, that’s why it’s a very tough tournament to win.”
This year Penn State has a below .500 record both in the Big Ten and overall, but still managed to secure a point against No. 4 Akron when they tied last month. If the Cats lose they could very well end up facing this difficult Penn State team that they beat 2-1 on Oct. 4.
But the reward for capturing the conference’s second seed isn’t much better – a first-round match-up with an always difficult Ohio State team. Even Wisconsin, the last-place team in the conference, has an RPI of 31.
So with a national tournament bid a lock for the Cats, they still hope to continue improving heading into the postseason.
Last season the Buckeyes used a strong finish to catapult themselves through the Big Ten tournament and into the national championship game.
“It matters more for momentum,” junior goalkeeper Misha Rosenthal said. “I don’t really care about seeding or anything. We are where we are.”
