An assist in soccer is a thankless job. Even on a perfectly weighted pass or expertly hooked corner kick, the touch that sets up a goal is rarely a glamorous affair.
Just ask Northwestern’s all-time leading goal scorer senior Matt Eliason. For the past three seasons, he has been the beneficiary of countless services on his way to netting 32 career goals.
Now he’s returning the favor.
“I used to be able to focus 80 percent on goal scoring and 20 percent on the rest of the game,” Eliason said. “Now I have had to switch that mentality, and it’s 80 percent on everything else and maybe 20 percent on goal scoring. Instead of looking to score, I have to focus on more of the details like trapping and defense and winning balls to move the ball up to the forward. It’s pretty different.”
His transition from a back-of-the-net to a back-office mentality came courtesy of a tactical change for the Wildcats. Two weeks ago against Notre Dame, coach Tim Lenahan converted to a five-midfielder system and dropped back one of his forwards, Eliason, to increase possession in the center of the field.
“The way the soccer world has evolved is everybody plays five in the midfield, and most teams are pretty technical so they are able to keep the ball,” Lenahan said. “If you don’t, then you have to chase them with the ball. With Oliver (Kupe) and Matt both being high forwards we had to pick one or the other, and Eli is clearly more suited for that role.”
Eliason has worn the role well, setting up three of NU’s five goals in its past two wins. His golden touch in front of the net has not lost its polish in the midfield, where he is able to dictate both passes and pace from a more withdrawn attacking position. In turn, Kupe has assumed the goal-scoring role for the Cats, pitching in a team-leading five goals.
Though he is no longer the scoring machine that earned him second-team All-American honors last season, Eliason is still generating national attention. After assisting freshman forward Reed Losee in NU’s 2-1 upset of No. 15 Ohio State on Sunday, Eliason was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s team of the week.
Senior midfielder Piero Bellizzi, whose four assists on the season tie him with Eliason for team-leading honors in that category, said Eliason’s new role has helped to open up the attack.
“Obviously when he scores his goals it helps tremendously,” Bellizzi said. “But this whole new element of his game is amazing, and it’s helped us more because now we have Ollie who’s scoring and now we have Matt who can run around behind there and win headers, win tackles, keep the ball and dribble. He’s always been capable of doing that, and now he’s showing it.”
NU (6-4-1) will need Eliason to continue to ignite the offense against Northern Illinois (5-4-2) tonight to break a streak of five games decided by one goal. NU has edged the Huskies in four of those games and enters the match at Lakeside Field on a three-win tear.
Lenahan said NU’s history of tightly-played games against Northern Illinois probably has something to do with the two squads’ familiarity with one another. At the beginning of each season, both teams host tournaments in which the other plays. Though they have yet to match up against each other this season, the Cats and the Huskies have had ample opportunity for scouting.
Lenahan said he hopes the young team Northern Illinois watched play in mid-September will look considerably more seasoned this time around.
“We’re becoming more comfortable with who we are as a team,” Lenahan said. “Our younger players are now becoming Northwestern soccer players, no longer high school guys playing college soccer. The experience is there, and they are starting to have a little purple in their veins.”
