Women's Watch: Northwestern soccer climbing up ranks

The football team at Northwestern, ranked No. 13 in the country, isn't the only team on campus moving up in the polls.

Last week, the women's soccer team got its first ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll since 1998, checking in at No. 24. This week, the Wildcats (9-3-2) moved up to No. 22.

Redshirt senior midfielder Niki Sebo hardly recognizes the program she signed up for. And that's exactly what she was banking on.

Five years ago, when Sebo was a freshman, Northwestern struggled to a 2-16-1 record. And the Wildcats had strung together two straight losing seasons before that.

"It's been a crazy transition from freshman year," said Sebo, a native of Downers Grove. "I really liked Northwestern when I was being recruited because you can't beat the school. And for me, it was close to home and I knew my family could go to all my games.

"I knew (the team was struggling), but I also knew Northwestern was getting some good players. Two of them were from my (Eclipse Select) club team (Georgia Waddle and Jackie Alyinovich, both of whom graduated last year). I knew it would be different than what Northwestern had ever seen before."

Sebo was right.

Last year, Northwestern earned its first Big Ten tournament berth (only eight of 14 conference teams get in) in years. In the first round, the eighth-seeded Wildcats unceremoniously knocked out perennial power and top seed Penn State.

Now, Northwestern is competing with the best teams in the country. A victory over then-No. 11 Rutgers two weeks ago (1-0 in overtime) thrust NU into the national spotlight. It was NU's eighth shutout of the season. Northwestern is hoping to ride the momentum to its first NCAA tournament berth since 1998.

"We got a new coach (Michael Moynihan) my sophomore year and he really went back to basics and that worked. I think we all really bought into what he and the other coaches were saying," Sebo said. "Last year, we finally made the Big Ten tournament for the first time in a long time, had that big win over Penn State and that kind of set the tone. We've been able to keep the momentum going into this season."

Add in the freshman class, Northwestern's first top 15 recruiting class, and the Wildcats finally have the swagger Sebo originally thought they could have.

"There is more of a belief in ourselves," Sebo said. "We've been the underdogs for so long. But this year, we've shown we can beat ranked teams.

"It's been a great experience. I've loved being part of the building experience. It makes you feel accomplished. The teams to come can look to us to see how we changed Northwestern soccer and set it in the right direction."

Follow Patricia on Twitter @babcockmcgraw.