Oct. 27, 2006

EVANSTON, IL -- Ann Arbor becomes Northwestern's home away from home for the next two weekends as the Wildcats wrap-up their regular season and begin Big Ten tournament play at the home of the No. 16-ranked Wolverines.

Sunday's matchup between Northwestern (7-10, 1-4 Big Ten) and Michigan (10-8, 3-2 Big Ten) will be the final regular season game for both teams. Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Phyllis Ocker Field.

Northwestern will return to Ann Arbor the following weekend for the start of the Big Ten tournament on Friday, November 3rd.

Last Time Out...

Iowa scored with just three minutes left to beat the 'Cats, 2-1, Sunday at Lakeside Field. Jill Putnum (Greenfield, Mass/Greenfield) scored Northwestern's lone goal in the defensive battle. Emily Kyle (San Francisco, Calif/San Francisco University H.S.) turned back shots and the Wildcat defense held strong against 17 Iowa shots and six corners in the loss.

Scouting the Wolverines...

The 16-ranked Wolverines enter Sunday's match-up with a 10-8, 3-2 record, third-best in the Big Ten. Michigan leads the conference in shots taken and is third in shots per game. On Sunday's senior day, the Wolverines will call on their senior Mary Fox, who's 11 assists are good enough for second-best in the Big Ten. Michigan's leading goal scorer, junior Lucia Belassi, also ranks fourth in the conference in game-winning goals.

The Series with Michigan...

Northwestern leads 28-16 in the all-time series with Michigan. Last season's match at Lakeside Field ended in a 6-1 Michigan win. NU looks to snap an eight year drought against the Wolverines.

`Cat Nips

Northwestern continues to lead the Big Ten in saves and saves per game, with sophomore Emily Kyle averaging a conference-best seven saves per game.