Inside NU - Northwestern non-revenue sport updates, 2015-16Roll Damn 'Catshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52532/insidenu_fav.png2015-12-02T12:40:01-06:00http://www.insidenu.com/rss/stream/91021922015-12-02T12:40:01-06:002015-12-02T12:40:01-06:00Northwestern non-revenue update
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<figcaption>Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="paragraph0" class="pgh-paragraph has-dropcap" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 1.5; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><font color="#292929" face="Mercury SSm A, Mercury SSm B, Georgia, serif" size="3">We try to roll out this non-revenue sports update once every two weeks or so. Sometimes we're more successful than others. Right now, it's reading week here at Northwestern, fall sports haven't completely ended (how 'bout Pat Fitzgerald's bunch?!), and winter sports are just getting underway. Here is a look back at historic season for the women's soccer team, as well a look ahead to some of the winter sports.</font></i></p>
<h3>Women's Soccer</h3>
<p>The women's soccer team's season came to a screeching halt Nov. 20 with a 4-0 loss to a talented West Virginia team in the second round of the NCAA tournament, the year-end championship.</p>
<p>The team had been playing well of late, having won four of their previous five by a combined 9-1. The lone setback occurred in a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal to a Michigan team that would, incidentally, fail to qualify for the NCAA tournament.</p>
<p>Head coach Michael Moynihan was pleased with the team's effort, both during this, their first NCAA tournament bid since 1998 and the season as a whole, calling No. 2 seed West Virginia <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/11/20/WSOC_1120155947.aspx" style="background-color: #ffffff;">"probably the best team we have seen all year."</a> Indeed, the Mountaineers looked a strong team in this tournament, taking an average margin of victory of almost four goals into the quarterfinals before running into a strong Penn State team.</p>
<p>Still, the scoreline was not indicative of the team's season, marked by the continued progress of the team under Moynihan, in his third year at the helm. The team finished 14-6-2 overall to go along with a stellar 7-3 record in the conference, good for fourth in the competitive Big Ten.</p>
<p>"Our senior class has shown so much character, and built the road map for the younger girls moving forward," Moynihan said, complimenting the outgoing seniors--the most successful Wildcats in years. "We have shown so much resilience and a tremendous work ethic, and our expectations have risen tremendously."</p>
<p>Powering this year's team was the defense, a unit that recorded 13 shutouts on the season, including one against their first-round foe, Washington State. Lauren Clem, the team's young goalkeeper, had a tremendous season in the net, heading a defense that allowed only a .530 goal-against-average, ranking in the NCAA's top-10 in that category.</p>
<p>Coach Moynihan has built a strong program in his three years in charge and a foundation seems to be set that shows promise for years to come. Posting a better record in each season here in Evanston, the team and its supporters look set for strong play in the seasons to come.</p>
<h3>Wrestling</h3>
<p>The wrestling team has been paced early in the season by strong play from senior Dominick Malone as the Wildcats <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/11/16/WREST_1116151535.aspx">opened up</a> their 100th season of play at the annual Michigan State Open. Malone went 4-1 at the tournament, while fellow senior Jameson Oster opened the season in fine form, winning his first three matches in impressive fashion. Freshman Anthony Rubinetti also wrestled well in the freshmen/sophomore division, winning four matches and finishing fourth place in the tournament.</p>
<p>The team also performed well in its dual-season opener, Grapple at the Garden, last Sunday in New York. The fourth annual event, held at Madison Square Garden, saw Northwestern take on Franklin & Marshall and Drexel. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/11/29/WREST_1129154334.aspx">The team managed a split</a>, beating the latter while forming to the former. Malone continued his impressive start, contributing to the 'Cats 30-18 victory with a pin and a win by fall. Redshirt freshman Bryce Brill also performed well, winning both of his matches. Luke Norland, a promising freshman from Iowa, won his first two matches of his college career, both come-from-behind victories.</p>
<h3>Swimming</h3>
<p>The women's swimming and diving team has come out of the gate strong, posting four straight victories in head-to-head competitions before falling to a No. 18 Wisconsin that gradually stretched their lead throughout the event. The Wildcats rebounded quickly, however, winning first overall in TYR Invitational as the host team for the three day event, which took place Nov. 20-22.</p>
<p>On the final day, Sunday, Northwestern posted three NCAA 'B' cuts and broke a Norris Aquatics pool record in the 100 free. Overall, the team earned six 'B' cuts and broke two pool records.</p>
<p>The diving team also had a strong weekend. Freshman Olivia Rosendahl placed first in all three diving competitions followed by three more Wildcats–Mashal Hashem, fellow freshman Eryn Scannell and Monique Demaisip, respectively.</p>
<p>The men's side of things is more up and down; the team lost their first, before rattling off three dual-meet victories at an event hosted by the University of Chicago. After that, the Wildcats lost four straight head-to-heads before having some team members place well at the TYR Invitational Nov. 20-22. Diver Andrew Cramer won two titles over the weekend, placing first in the three-meter diving board as well as the platform. The next best finish was senior Grant Halsall's second-place time of 50.43.</p>
<h3>Fencing</h3>
<p>The women's fencing team has compiled a strong start to the season, going 17-4 thus far in four events. The team's past two duals have been particularly impressive. Two weeks ago, the Wildcats played well in going 6-1 at the Vassar Duals, their only loss coming by the slimmest of margins to Cornell. On Nov. 21, the team competed in the Elite Cup Duals, going 3-2 against strong competition. One of the schools beaten included reigning champion Columbia, with a thrilling 14-13 result. The team also beat Ohio State by one while handily defeated John Hopkins, 25-2. The team does not compete next for more than a month. Head coach Laurie Schiller will be hoping this momentum can carry into the new year.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/12/2/9833448/northwestern-womens-soccer-non-revenue-updateDavid Gernon2015-11-12T10:07:53-06:002015-11-12T10:07:53-06:00Non-revenue sports: Women's soccer going dancing
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<figcaption>Photo: Northwestern Athletics</figcaption>
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<p>Northwestern women's soccer has made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.</p> <p id="paragraph0" class="pgh-paragraph has-dropcap" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 1.5; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Every other week during the fall sports season, we'll be providing updates on Northwestern's non-revenue sports. All are understandably overshadowed by football, as they run side-by-side with the most popular college sport. But some of these other Wildcat teams excel outside of the spotlight.</i></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph1" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 1.5; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></i>We'll be keeping tabs on four teams during the fall: men's soccer, women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball. We'll also have occasional updates on cross country, as well as winter sports (and even spring sports) like swimming (and tennis) that get underway during the fall.</i></p>
<p id="paragraph3" class="pgh-paragraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 1.5; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Here is the fifth update of the season:</i></p>
<h3>Women's Soccer</h3>
<p>The women's soccer team is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/11/9/9700114/northwestern-womens-soccer-team-headed-to-the-ncaa-tournament">dancing</a>. For the first time since 1998, the team will be playing in the NCAA Tournament, the selection committee announced Monday. Northwestern will play Saturday evening in Pullman, Washington against Washington State in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/11/9/WSOC_1109152032.aspx" style="background-color: #ffffff;">The team was understandably overjoyed at the news</a>, and this marks another positive step for coach Michael Moynihan, who took over a moribund program three years ago. The postseason birth is all the more impressive given the team's challenging situation at their home field: due to ongoing renovations, the team did not play a single home game on-campus. In addition, all their training was off-campus as well. But the team did not let these trying circumstances get to them and instead thrived, going 13-5-2 overall and 7-3-1 in the Big Ten, a tough conference.</p>
<p>This team thrived on defensive prowess and on beating inferior opponents. Sophomore keeper Lauren Clem set a program record with 11 shoutouts, including an impressive three straight to close out the regular season. The team's goals-against-average of .531 ranks eighth nationally. Northwestern did not lose to a single opponent ranked outside the top 45 of the RPI, meaning the Wildcats got the job done when expected.</p>
<p>This Saturday should provide an exciting matchup. Washington State went 14-5-0 overall and 6-4-0 in conference play to finish third overall in the Pac-12. They have a prolific attacker in Kaitlin Johnson who leads the team with 20 points on seven goals and six assists. But if there is one thing we know about this Wildcats team, it is that they come to play defensively.</p>
<h3>Field Hockey</h3>
<p>Northwestern's field hockey team ended its season similar to how it began: with a loss to a top-10 opponent. In the former's case, it was falling to then-No. 1 Connecticut 4-1 at home; in the latter, No. 7 Maryland ended the Wildcats' season with a narrow victory, 2-1 in double-overtime, in the Big Ten tournament semifinals.</p>
<p>The team will not be disappointed with their season, going 13-8 overall and 4-4 in a competitive conference. But they will perhaps rue their missed chances, going 0-7 in games decided by one goal. If the team goes even 3-4, their overall record jumps to 16-5, a very impressive number. Simple regression to the mean would indicate next year could be a very good year for field hockey at Northwestern.</p>
<p>After dominating Ohio State (again), the team was surely confident heading into last Friday's semifinal matchup with the Terrapins. They looked the part early, scoring first, shortly after the break. They controlled their destiny at that point but a Buckeye goal with 10 minutes to play spoiled any thoughts the Wildcats had of advancing to the final.</p>
<p>A scoreless first overtime closely mirrored the original first half before Lein Holsboer's goal <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/11/6/FHOCKEY_1106152459.aspx">less than two minutes</a> into the second overtime ended the contest and the Wildcats' season.</p>
<h3>Volleyball</h3>
<p>Much like the last time we checked in, in the interim the volleyball team has gone 1-3, this time beating a Michigan State team ahead of them in the standings.</p>
<p>We ended last update on the volleyball team suggesting an anticipated match at home against a ranked opponent may be what the Wildcats needed to get back on track, but the team came out flat and disappointed in a 3-0 sweep by the then-No. 25 Wolverines.</p>
<p>Although they bounced back the very next day to beat the Spartans, time is running out for this team to prove it belongs in postseason play. Beating Penn State has perhaps proven to be negative on the team; since that historic victory, the team has gone 2-6 and tumbled in the standings.</p>
<p>Tonight, the team has another chance to get back on track, hosting No. 4 Minnesota in Welsh-Ryan Arena. We shall see if they respond better than the last time.</p>
<h3>Men's Soccer</h3>
<p>The men's soccer team's season is over, courtesy of Rutgers in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.</p>
<p>The Wildcats were the 5 seed in the always tricky 4 vs. 5 matchup and Rutgers proved too much to handle, scoring a goal in each half to win comfortably, 2-0. The loss gives the Wildcats a final record of 7-9-2, their first below .500 finish since 2002. The team did manage to go 4-4-0 in conference play, good enough for a tie in third place.</p>
<p>The Wildcats were the better team in the first half against the Scarlet Knirghts, and were unlucky to into the break down a goal, with keeper Zak Allen saving a free kick that forced him from the net before the rebound found a Rutgers' player in the right place at the right time to slot home the finish.</p>
<p>The team almost tied the game early in the second half, but were unable to finish the job, before a late Rutgers goal put the game out of reach. Graduating seniors include Joey Calistri, who finishes his career with 30 goals, good for second best in program history.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/11/12/9706832/northwestern-womens-soccer-ncaa-tournamentDavid Gernon2015-10-28T11:08:35-05:002015-10-28T11:08:35-05:00NU women's soccer rolling towards postseason
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JLVEjDgv6QuHLZpx7zLuquwuSWo=/161x0:3867x2471/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47532669/usa-today-8865338.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="paragraph2" class="pgh-paragraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 1.5; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Every other week during the fall sports season, we'll be providing updates on Northwestern's non-revenue sports. All are understandably overshadowed by football, as they run side-by-side with the most popular college sport. But some of these other Wildcat teams excel outside of the spotlight.</i></i></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 1.5; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></i>We'll be keeping tabs on four teams during the fall: men's soccer, women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball. We'll also have occasional updates on cross country, as well as winter sports (and even spring sports) like swimming (and tennis) that get underway during the fall.</i></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 1.5; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i>The big non-revenue sport news this week is that <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/10/26/9618898/drew-pariano-northwestern-wrestling-dismissed" target="_blank">wrestling coach Drew Pariano and the program have parted ways</a>.</i></p>
<p id="paragraph3" class="pgh-paragraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 1.5; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Other than that, here is the fourth update of the season:</i></p>
<h3>Field Hockey</h3>
<p>The field hockey team has had a nice run of games since our last update, dropping a double-overtime affair to a then-No. 14 Michigan — a team that has only lost three games all season and is in the midst of an eight game winning streak — before rattling off three straight wins, including one in Columbus over Ohio State, 2-0.</p>
<p>Their most recent victory also came in Athens, Oh. over Ohio University, 4-2. Dominique Masters, a junior from Canterbury, England, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/10/25/FHOCKEY_1025152218.aspx">continued her impressive play</a> this season, netting her second hat trick of the campaign to help the Wildcats recover from a 2-1 deficit at the half to take control of the game. Masters is the team's second leading scorer on the year, with her most recent effort bringing her total to a robust 13, behind only fellow junior Isabel Flens' 15.</p>
<p>The team only has one more remaining regular season game, a home date with Penn State Friday afternoon before postseason play starts with the Big Ten tournament. Northwestern currently sits tied for third in the conference with Ohio State and Indiana. Ohio State's only remaining game is at Michigan, so conventional thinking would give the Wolverines the edge there. But Indiana owns the tiebreaker with Northwestern and plays lowly Rutgers in their season finale, so the Wildcats could be looking at a 4 seed for the tournament.</p>
<h3>Volleyball</h3>
<p>Last time we checked in with this team, they were coming off an incredible victory over powerhouse Penn State; since then, things have not gone so well: the Wildcats have beaten a subpar Iowa team, currently last in the Big Ten, but have dropped three other contests.</p>
<p>Their most recent two losses have been sweeps at the hands of Purdue and Indiana. Purdue is a quality team, one that has been ranked most of the season and currently sits fourth in the competitive Big Ten. To boot, the game was in West Lafayette; that loss is understandable.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/10/24/WVB_1024154859.aspx">But the loss to Indiana hurts</a>. Even with the head-to-head victory over the Wildcats, the Hoosiers still sit lower in the Big Ten standings. The first set was competitive, but the Wildcats could not muster any energy in the second. They fell behind early in the third and, despite mounting a valiant comeback effort, it was not enough and they fell in straight sets. In the middle of the pack in the Big Ten, every game counts, and a win would have put the team in solid position heading into Friday's important tilt with No. 25 Michigan. The game is in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Perhaps the friendly confines of their home arena will right whatever is wrong with the Wildcats.</p>
<h3>Men's Soccer</h3>
<p>An up-and-down season has been just that since our last update, with the men's soccer team going 1-1-2 in the interim. While all four have been played in the Chicago-area, the strength of the teams faced in the past two weeks has been tremendous.</p>
<p>A 4-2 loss to Big Ten-leading Rutgers started things off. The Wildcats then recovered to draw then-No. 8 Notre Dame in a hard fought game that went into double overtime. Given Notre Dame's strong program, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/10/20/MSOC_1020153840.aspx">that draw can almost be chalked up as a victory</a>, especially with the Wildcats needing to fight back to secure the point after falling behind in the first half.</p>
<p>After that, the Wildcats beat a tough Michigan State team 1-0 on an 89th-minute winner, but were shut out by Loyola, 2-0, on Tuesday. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/10/27/MSOC_1027154013.aspx">The coaching staff was not happy with the team's effort</a>, something they'll look to correct heading into the pivotal end-of-season matchups.</p>
<p>Before the Loyola game, senior goalkeeper Zak Allen was honored as the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/10/27/MSOC_1027154456.aspx">Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week </a>for his efforts in holding powerful Notre Dame to a lone goal and shutting out Michigan State.</p>
<p>In the top half of a competitive, fairly even Big Ten, Northwestern is sitting pretty, especially if they take care of business the rest of the way, with a game in State College against Penn State before finishing the season in Columbus taking on the Buckeyes. Both teams sit below the Wildcats in the standings so this would seem a good opportunity to pad the win column. After that, it is on to the Big Ten Tournament, where the Wildcats could go in with some momentum and look to make some noise.</p>
<h3>Women's Soccer</h3>
<p>The women's soccer team has been on an impressive run as of late, winning two and dropping only one since we last checked in. Their lone loss came in a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/10/15/WSOC_1015152939.aspx">fluky game against an inferior opponent</a>, Nebraska, who was able to notch an early goal against the run of play and then held on for dear life for a 1-0 win.</p>
<p>The team's past two results have been much more impressive, and more indicative of their true talent level. On <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/10/18/WSOC_1018155423.aspx">Senior Day</a>, Northwestern demolished an overmatched Iowa team, winning 4-0, with the four goals coming from four different players. It was the most goals ever scored against a Big Ten opponent for this team's seniors. They dominated wire-to-wire, outshooting the Hawkeyes 20-2.</p>
<p>The next match, NU's penultimate of the season, was also a shutout, the team's 11th of the season. Co-captain and senior Niki Sebo scored and junior Addie Steiner notched a goal in the 2-0 win. The coaching staff <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/10/24/WSOC_1024150343.aspx">was happy</a> to secure such a result on the road, and it's a win that sets Northwestern up well for the regular season finale Wednesday night against Wisconsin in Madison. Wisconsin, currently first in the Big Ten, will be a useful barometer for the team as it heads into the Big Ten tournament. A victory in Madison would surely give the team a nice boost heading into postseason play.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/10/28/9624904/northwestern-womens-soccer-field-hockey-winningDavid Gernon2015-10-14T11:55:23-05:002015-10-14T11:55:23-05:00Non-rev sport update: Volleyball upsets No. 3 PSU
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FWQpQShxQm1LFUaHYa9PL-a0POM=/156x0:4656x3000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47418002/GettyImages-491156486.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Northwestern's volleyball team beat a powerhouse of the sport while both soccer teams haven't done quite as well as they would have liked of late. </p> <p style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;" class="pgh-paragraph has-dropcap" id="paragraph0"><span><i>Every other week during the fall sports season, we'll be providing updates on Northwestern's non-revenue sports. All are understandably overshadowed by football, as they run side-by-side with the most popular college sport. But some of these other Wildcat teams excel outside of the spotlight.</i></span></p>
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<p><i>We'll be keeping tabs on four teams during the fall: men's soccer, women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball. We'll also have occasional updates on cross country, as well as winter sports (and even spring sports) like swimming (and tennis) that get underway during the fall.</i></p>
<p><i>Here is the third update of the season:</i></p>
<h3>Volleyball</h3>
<p>The Penn State Nittany Lions have long been known for their strong volleyball team; the Nittany Lions are the two-time defending national champions in the sport. So when visiting No. 3 Penn State came to Evanston last Saturday, it's fair to say expectations might have been low. In addition, most fans of Northwestern athletics were probably tuned in to a <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/10/10/9494055/northwestern-michigan-football-game-story-mistakes-wolverines-good-athletes" target="_blank">different game</a> that day.</p>
<p>But while the football team was busy getting devoured by Wolverines, the volleyball team more than held its own against its own formidable opponent. They came out with a dramatic 3-2 victory, their most important of the season so far.</p>
<p>Their first victory over the Nittany Lions in more than a decade, the Wildcats alternated the first four sets with their opponents Saturday night, winning the first and third but dropping the second and fourth. After that, it all came down to the final set. Northwestern would not be denied, however, and emerged with a 15-12 victory in the fifth. The team has now won both of its five-set matches this year.</p>
<p>Sophomore Taylor Tashima continued her strong play, logging a match-high 52 assists and recording her sixth double-double of the season with 10 digs. Northwestern had another double-double on the stat sheet as well, when junior Kayla Morin recorded 15 kills and 14 digs.</p>
<p>This was an important victory, over a major powerhouse in the sport. Additionally, it comes on the heels of three consecutive straight-set losses for the Wildcats, making this win even more surprising. Although this is a major victory for a young team, it still only counts for one in the standings, where the Wildcats currently sit tied for seventh at 3-3 in Big Ten play. They will have a chance to continue their impressive play in the upcoming games, which include two against Purdue and Nebraska, both top teams in the conference.</p>
<h3>Men's Soccer</h3>
<p>The men's soccer team notched a huge overtime victory in College Park against Maryland, 2-1, before taking care of business against DePaul. In a rematch of last year's NCAA tournament game, Northwestern met SIU-Edwardsville over the weekend. Unfortunately, the outcome was the same as last year's: an SIU-Edwardsville victory. The Wildcats went down 2-0 and got a goal back, but could never get back to equal footing.</p>
<p>The team sits squarely in the middle of the Big Ten standings and has a chance to make some progress up the standings in their next few games — home dates with Rutgers, Notre Dame and Michigan State.</p>
<h3>Women's Soccer</h3>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/9/30/9421209/northwestern-wildcats-womens-soccer-ranked-top-25">Last time we checked in with this team</a>, they had achieved their first national ranking for the first time under head coach Michael Moynihan.</p>
<p>The bad news: they've lost two of three since then.</p>
<p>The good news: they're still ranked!</p>
<p>Despite losses to Penn State and Michigan, a win over Michigan State in East Lansing over the weekend has kept the Wildcats nationally ranked, No. 24 according to the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4616/NCAADivisionI/women/Poll8">most recent NSCAA poll</a>. This has been on the back of a stellar defense, which recorded its ninth clean sheet of the season in the victory over the Spartan. Sophomore goalie Lauren Clem recored a season-best seven saves as well.</p>
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<p>This victory, the team's tenth, already surpasses their total from last year, with four games left to play in the regular season. They host Nebraska and Iowa this week before heading on the road to play Illinois and Wisconsin in their final two regular season games. Sitting fourth in the Big Ten, the Wildcats could certainly make some noise in the postseason.</p>
<h3>Fencing</h3>
<p>Northwestern has a new fencing coach! After longtime coach Laurie Schiller decided to retire at the end of the 2015-16 season, athletic director Jim Phillips hired Zach Moss to take over the program. Inside NU reader Peter Elliot <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/10/10/9491053/an-interview-with-zach-moss-northwesterns-newly-named-fencing-coach" target="_blank">interviewed Moss</a>.</p>
<h3>Field Hockey</h3>
<p>Northwestern has gone 1-1 since we last checked in, in the midst of a three-game gauntlet of games against ranked opponents. The victory was over then-No. 18 Iowa in dominant fashion, 4-0, but the loss came in a heartbreaker to then-No. 9 Stanford in overtime, 3-2.</p>
<p>The team has managed to hang on to its national ranking however, coming in at No. 16 in the <a href="http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/fieldhockey/d1" target="_blank">most recent poll</a>.</p>
<p>The Wildcats are halfway through a four-game home stand, with No. 18 Michigan coming up this weekend, a big game against an opponent that sits above the Wildcats in the standings. After that, Michigan State comes to town. The team closes out the regular season with two games in Ohio, first against Ohio State and then vs. Ohio in Athens. The season finale is back home against Penn State the day before Halloween.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/10/14/9524299/northwestern-volleyball-upset-penn-state-fencing-coach-zach-mossDavid Gernon2015-09-30T12:34:07-05:002015-09-30T12:34:07-05:00Non-rev sports: Women's soccer surges into top 25
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<p>Women's soccer and volleyball continue their hot starts while the men's soccer team endures a rough patch. </p> <p id="paragraph0" class="pgh-paragraph has-dropcap" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Every other week during the fall sports season, we'll be providing updates on Northwestern's non-revenue sports. All are understandably overshadowed by football, as they run side-by-side with the most popular college sport. But some of these other Wildcat teams excel outside of the spotlight.</i></p>
<p id="paragraph1" class="pgh-paragraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">We'll be keeping tabs on four teams during the fall: men's soccer, women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball. We'll also have occasional updates on cross country, as well as winter sports (and even spring sports) like swimming (and tennis) that get underway during the fall. </i></p>
<p id="paragraph2" class="pgh-paragraph" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; margin-top: 1em; line-height: 24px; color: #292929; font-size: 16px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Here is the second update of the season:</i></p>
<h3>Women's Soccer</h3>
<p>After winning six of their past eight games (and drawing the other two), the women's soccer team finds itself in an unfamiliar position: nationally ranked, for the first time under head coach Michael Moynihan.</p>
<p>The team is <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4455/NCAADivisionI/women/Poll6">24th in the coaches poll</a> while SoccerAmerica has it <a target="_blank" href="http://www.socceramerica.com/article/65869/soccer-america-womens-top-25.html">all the way at 22</a>. It's the Wildcats' first national ranking since 2010, when they were ranked 14th by SoccerAmerica.</p>
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<p>The ranking comes on the heels of a dramatic 2-0 weekend for the team, with a 2-0 win over Maryland and a 1-0 overtime victory over then-No. 11 Rutgers. The two games mark the seventh and eighth shutouts of the season for the stout Northwestern defense.</p>
<p>The Rutgers victory in particular stands out as impressive; the teams were locked in a scoreless stalemate before senior Nandi Mehta ended the contest with a golden goal in the 93rd minute on Sunday afternoon.</p>
<p>At 9-1-2 on the season and 3-0-1 in conference, Northwestern is currently second in the Big Ten, with 10 points to Minnesota's 12.</p>
<p>Looking ahead, Northwestern plays Penn State at home on Sunday before heading to Ann Arbor to take on the Wolverines next week. The Wildcats are not scheduled to face Minnesota in the regular season.</p>
<h3>Men's Soccer</h3>
<p>Since our last update, the men's soccer team has opened Big Ten play in a bit of a rough patch as the Wildcats are 1-2 in their three games thus far.</p>
<p>They struggled to find their offensive footing after going down early in their most recent game, a 1-0 loss at the hands of Indiana. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/9/27/MSOC_0927151546.aspx">The coaches were pleased</a> with the team's second half effort, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Wildcats from going under .500 in conference play.</p>
<p>The bad news is things won't get any easier as Northwestern's next game is in College Park against the Big Ten's second place team: Maryland.</p>
<p>The good news is after that the team gets a bit of a breather with bottom-dwellers DePaul and Rutgers coming to town, sandwiching a game against middling SIU-Edwardsville.</p>
<p>A win at Maryland is always going to be difficult, but the team will hope to at least get some momentum for the contests that follow afterwards.</p>
<h3>Field Hockey</h3>
<p>The field hockey team <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/fieldhockey/d1/nfhca">has slipped</a> two spots in the NFHCA Coaches Poll since <a href="http://www.insidenu.com/2015/9/16/9334153/northwestern-non-revenue-sports-soccer-field-hockey-womens-golf-volleyball-cross-country/in/9102192" target="_blank">the last time we checked in</a>, due to an average (literally) 2-2 record in its last four games. The two losses have come at then-No. 10 Maryland and at an Indiana team that didn't look great in the non-conference portion of the schedule but has started Big Ten play off undefeated.</p>
<p>The Wildcats' combined 9-1 goal margin in victories over Rutgers and Temple unfortunately do not tell us much about this team; Rutgers is the second-worst team in the Big Ten and Temple is 3-7 after losing three in a row.</p>
<p>The team was probably unlucky to lose against Indiana, having out-shot the Hoosiers 20-9, as well as earning almost three times as many corners.</p>
<h3>Volleyball</h3>
<p>Off to a hot start in conference play with back-to-back 3-0 victories at Maryland and Rutgers, the volleyball team finds itself tied for first in the Big Ten with a 2-0 record.</p>
<p>The sweep of Maryland marked the team's fifth-straight victory and third sweep. The first two games were tight; the margin of victory was two for each result. But, the Wildcats opened things up in the third game, winning comfortably 25-9.</p>
<p>Sophomore Taylor Tashima continued her strong play, notching her fourth double-double on the year with a 36-assist, 13-dig performance. Her 12.0 assists/game ranks among the best in the Big Ten.</p>
<p>The Wildcats have a tough task coming up as they put their five-match win streak on the line with a visit to No. 16 Minnesota on Wednesday night.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/9/30/9421209/northwestern-wildcats-womens-soccer-ranked-top-25David Gernon2015-09-16T11:38:37-05:002015-09-16T11:38:37-05:00Non-Revenue Sports: Field hockey off to hot start
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<p>Field hockey is ranked 12th in the nation after winning the Big Ten last year. Women's soccer is already 6-1-1.</p> <p><i>Every other week during the fall sports season, we'll be providing updates on Northwestern's non-revenue sports. All are understandably overshadowed by football, as they run side-by-side with the most popular college sport. But some of these other Wildcat teams excel outside of the spotlight.</i></p>
<p><i>We'll be keeping tabs on four teams during the fall: men's soccer, women's soccer, field hockey and volleyball. We'll also have occasional updates on cross country, as well as winter sports (and even spring sports) like swimming (and tennis) that get underway during the fall. </i></p>
<p><i>Here is the first update of the season:</i></p>
<h4><span>Men's Soccer</span></h4>
<p>After stumbling out of the gates to start the season, the men's soccer team has seemed to find its footing lately, with two straight victories to bring their season record to 2-2-1.</p>
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<p>The lone tie came to start the season against Colgate, but the Wildcats had to wait awhile for their first victory. It finally came in the Big Ten opener over the always-tough Ohio State Buckeyes though. Sporting the team's gray camouflage jerseys, senior Joey Calistri scored the second of his two goals on the night in the 62nd minute to put the Wildcats up 2-0 at Toyota Park. Fellow senior Cole Missimo assisted both goals.</p>
<p>Calistri seemed eager to continue his fine play into the next game against Central Michigan, where he was credited with an assist on freshman Jake Roberge's first career goal late in the match to give the Wildcats a 1-0 victory. The coaches <a href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/9/14/MSOC_0914152913.aspx" target="_blank">noted</a> the team looked tired during the early season midweek game, but were happy to take home the victory. Calistri was named Big Ten offensive player of the week.</p>
<p>Coming up, the team has two tough road matches against Michigan and Illinois before returning home to face Indiana Sept. 27.</p>
<h4><span>Women's Soccer</span></h4>
<p>The women's soccer team has gotten off to a strong start this season, posting a 6-1-1 record overall after a successful weekend in Colorado. The first win of the weekend came last Friday in Fort Collins over the Colorado State Rams. Despite going down 1-0 against the run of play in the 60th minute, the Wildcats showed poise in pushing to get the equalizer and then going ahead on Kourtney Scott's first goal of the year. She scored in the 76th minute.</p>
<p>Next, the Wildcats were in Boulder on Sunday to close out their non-conference slate. Sophomore Michelle Manning's golden goal in overtime was the game-winner, as she led her team to the 1-0 victory. The coaches were also <a href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/9/13/WSOC_0913153148.aspx" target="_blank">proud</a> of the team's defensive effort in registering their fifth shoutout of the season.</p>
<h4><span>Field Hockey</span></h4>
<p>Since opening the season in Evanston with a tough loss at home to still-undefeated and No. 1 Connecticut, the Wildcats have won six of their last seven, and currently rank 12th nationally in the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/fieldhockey/d1">NFHCA Coaches poll</a>. Their record now reads 6-2. That includes a dominant string of games since last Friday; three victories in five days by an average margin of victory of five goals.</p>
<p>The victories have been powered by a rock-solid defense. In three games, Northwestern's opponents managed only a combined three goals. Of note during this stretch, redshirt-sophomore Lindsay von der Luft <a href="http://www.nusports.com/news/2015/9/12/FHOCKEY_0912151307.aspx" target="_blank">recorded</a> her first shutout in goal against Central Michigan.</p>
<p>The offense has scored 18 goals in that time, powered by Isabel Flens and Caroline Troncelliti. Both players having scored five goals each over the past three games. Flens and Troncelliti account for more than half of the teams goals during that span.</p>
<p>While the recent run of games has been at home, the Wildcats embark on a four-game road trip this week before returning home to host Iowa on Oct. 2.</p>
<h4>Women's Golf</h4>
<p>The women's golf team finished the Dick McGuire Invitational Tuesday evening, the first competition of the year. Ranked No. 12 nationally in Golfweek's preseason rankings, the Wildcats secured a second-place finish at the University of New Mexico Championship Course.</p>
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<p>Sophomore Sarah Cho was the standout, shooting an 8-under to win the tournament. She overcame a two stroke deficit in the final round to edge Stanford's Mariah Stanford for the title. It is the Californian's second win in her last four college events.</p>
<p>The team closed with its best team round of the 54-hole tournament to secure the second-place finish. All six Wildcats finished inside the top 36 of the 104-player field. The Wildcats are looking to build on this positive season opener in the coming weeks as their season gets into full swing.</p>
<h4>Volleyball</h4>
<p>Despite an above-.500 record at 6-3, Northwestern finds themselves only outpacing 2-7 Rutgers as far as Big Ten schools are concerned. Luckily, however, conference play has not yet started, so the Wildcats do not need to be overly concerned about that mark.</p>
<p>After starting the season strong with three victories in the Rambler Challenge in Chicago, the team has struggled since then, going 3-3. That stretch of games includes a tense victory over Missouri State 3-2, but also losses to Idaho State and Western Kentucky.</p>
<p>The victory over Missouri State was the team's first five-setter on the year. The Wildcats won the first set 25-18 but then lost the next two sets before squeaking out the fourth 25-23. They took care of business in the fifth, 15-7, to claim the match. Sophomore Taylor Tashima made it three straight double-doubles with a 57-assist, 15-dig performance.</p>
<h4>Cross Country</h4>
<p>Under rookie head coach 'A Havahla Haynes, the Wildcats have competed in two events in this young season. A strong showing in the Badger Season Opener — the team had three runners in the Top-16 — foreshadowed an even stronger day at the 36th Annual Midwest Open. Northwestern placed four in the top 25 and seven in the top 30 to secure a third-place finish overall.</p>
<p>The Wildcats are off this week in preparation for the Roy Griak Invitational, hosted by the University of Minnesota on Sept. 26.</p>
https://www.insidenu.com/2015/9/16/9334153/northwestern-non-revenue-sports-soccer-field-hockey-womens-golf-volleyball-cross-countryDavid Gernon