Aug. 29, 2007

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 14 Northwestern opens the 2007 regular season this weekend with the Fifth Annual Lakeside Classic. Due to construction still going on at the new Lakeside Field facility, Friday's games have been moved to the Loyola Soccer Park on the campus of Loyola University in Chicago. Sunday's games will carry on as scheduled along the lakeside on the Northwestern campus.

Weekend Schedule
Friday, August 31 (at Loyola-Chicago) Click here for directions.
Bucknell vs. Northern Illinois, 12:30 p.m.
Northwestern vs. Colgate, 3 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 2 (at Northwestern)
Northern Illinois vs. Colgate, Noon
Northwestern vs. Bucknell, 2:30 p.m.

The Wildcats went 1-1-1 in the preseason. A 3-0 win over Marquette on Aug. 19 started off the exhibition campaign followed by a hard-fought 1-1 tie at No. 22 Saint Louis Saturday night Aug. 25. Northwestern then had to travel directly from St. Louis to South Bend, Ind., to take on 10th-ranked Notre Dame two days later, falling 3-0. David Roth, Carl Pett, Brian Usinger and Matt Witt all recorded goals throughout the preseason. In the net, Misha Rosenthal and Will Briley split time in goal, while Rosenthal played all 90 minutes against the Billikens.

Colgate, who went 8-4-5 with a 3-1-3 record in the Patriot League last season, returns seven starters from last year's team and are picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League this season. Leading scorer Eric Anton leads the returnees after recording 15 points in 2006, while sophomore Chris Salmon and junior Matt Leach also return after notching seven points each in '06. Junior goalkeeper David Cappuccio finished 2006 with a 0.58 goals against average and an .829 save percentage. The Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year put together a shutout streak of 898 minutes and three seconds, which is second all-time in the NCAA records book. This weekend Northwestern will welcome back Colgate head coach Erik Ronning, who was an assistant coach at Northwestern under Tim Lenahan from 2001-05.

The Bison are coming off a 9-8-6 season, which included a Patriot League title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. Like the Wildcats, they are picked second in their preseason conference poll behind Lehigh. Bucknell welcomes back 23 letterwinners and 10 starters from last year's team. Senior goalkeeper Joey Kuterbach is back following a season in which he finished in the top four of every statistical category for goalkeepers. The Bison also return 2006 Patriot League BRINE Rookie of the Year Nathan LaGrave, who led the team in scoring with 16 points a year ago.

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Directions to Loyola Soccer Park

Located at 6336 N. Hoyne Ave. Chicago, IL 60659.

From the North:
Follow Sheridan Road south to Devon Avenue. Turn right (west) on Devon Avenue and proceed to Hoyne Avenue. Turn left (south) on Hoyne and the field will be on the right (west) side of the street. There is a parking lot on the east side of Hoyne, almost directly across from the field.

-OR-

Take I-294 or I-94 to Touhy Avenue. Take Touhy Avenue east exit. Go east on Touhy to Western Avenue. Turn right (south) on Western and proceed to Devon Avenue. Turn left (east) on Devon. Take Devon to Hoyne Avenue. Turn right (south) on Hoyne Avenue. The field will be a 1/2 block down on the right (west) side of the street. There is a parking lot on the east side of the street, almost directly across from the field.

From Rockford, O'Hare Airport and the Northwest:
From Manheim Road, take Devon Avenue east to Hoyne Avenue. Turn right (south) on Hoyne Avenue. The field will be on the right (west) side of the street, about a 1/2 block down. Parking is available across the street.

From Aurora and the West:
Take the East-West Tollway (I-88) east until it merges in to the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290). Follow I-290 into the Loop, following the signs for Lake Shore Drive north. Take LSD until it ends (at Hollywood Road). Stay in the right hand lane and turn right (north) onto Sheridan Road. Go five (5) stop lights and get into the left hand lane. You will see the campus on the right hand side of the street. Proceed on Sheridan Road, past campus, to Devon Avenue. (Keep driving straight and Sheridan Road will turn into Devon Avenue.) Follow Devon west to Hoyne Avenue. Turn left on Hoyne(south) and the field will be on the right (west) side of the street. Parking is available across the street.

From Joliet and the Southwest:
Take the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) north to Lake Shore Drive until it ends at Hollywood. Stay in the right hand lane and turn right (north) on to Sheridan Road. Go five (5) stop lights, past campus, and stay in the left hand lane. Sheridan Road will turn into Devon Avenue. Take Devon Avenue west to Hoyne Avenue. Turn left (south) on to Hoyne Avenue. The field will be on the right (west) side of the street. Parking is available across the street.

From the South and Southwest:
Follow Lake Shore Drive until it ends at Hollywood. Stay in the right hand lane and turn right (north) on to Sheridan Road. Go five (5) stop lights, past campus, and stay in the left hand lane. Sheridan Road will turn into Devon Avenue. Take Devon Avenue west to Hoyne Avenue. Turn left (south) on Hoyne and the field will be on the right (west) side of the street. Parking is available across the street.

From the Lake Shore Campus to the Field:
From the parking structure, turn right (west) on to Sheridan Road. Proceed west on Sheridan until the road turns into Devon Avenue. Keep going west on Devon to Hoyne Avenue (approximately one and a 1/2 miles). Turn left on Hoyne. The field will be on the right (west) side of the street. There is parking available across the street.

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