EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern women’s soccer hosts Denver on Sunday at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on B1G+.
Last time out, Northwestern (0-2) had its six-game unbeaten streak in home openers and four-game unbeaten streak in Evanston snapped in a 1-0 loss to Syracuse. The Wildcats held a 9-7 edge in shots and a 5-0 advantage in corners, but Orange midfielder Abby Incorvaia converted from the penalty spot in the 90th minute to seal the victory.
After missing Northwestern’s contest at No. 11 Virginia, sophomore goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson made a pair of saves in the home opener. Junior defender Olivia Elliott made her first career start as a Wildcat.
2026 Promotional Schedule 🗓️
— Northwestern Soccer (@NUWSoccer) August 19, 2026
Check out this season's giveaways and theme games at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium! pic.twitter.com/gyjsQZtL3t
NU's 21 regular-season non-conference wins since 2022 rank second in the Big Ten, trailing only UCLA’s 24.
Northwestern returns 76.6% of its games started, 75.2% of its minutes played, 76.9% of its goals scored, 82.8% of its assists and 79.0% of its points from its 2025 team that secured the eighth NCAA Tournament berth in program history.
Junior forward Kennedy Roesch was named to the 2026 United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List ahead of the season. Roesch led all 'Cats and ranked third in the Big Ten with 10 goals and 23 points in 2025. Her 16 goals are the most by a Wildcat over a two-year span since Addie Steiner in 2014-15 (17) and most by an NU underclassman since Kelsey Hans in 2004-05 (21).
Sunday’s matchup will mark the first meeting between the ‘Cats and Pioneers. Denver is playing its first season in the West Coast Conference. Northwestern is 2-5-1 all-time against the current alignment of the WCC.
Denver (0-2) makes the trip to Evanston after dropping a pair of one-goal games at Colorado State (1-0) and DePaul (2-1). Senior midfielder Kera Nguyen opened the scoring in 2026 for the Pioneers at DePaul. Sophomore goalkeeper Lucy Garnsey has played both games for DU, allowing 1.50 goals per game to go with a .727 save percentage.
Northwestern closes out its first homestand of the season when it hosts Illinois State at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Aug. 27 on B1G+.