Aug. 1, 2012

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern is ready to defend its Big Ten titles and will not waste any time doing so. The 'Cats invite fans to join them at 12:01 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 9 at Lakeside Field for their first practice of the 2012 season.

NU has taken advantage of the opportunity to get things started at the very first possible minute for a number of years under head coach Tim Lenahan. Here's a rundown of the squad's scheduled activities for the evening:

12:01-12:30 a.m. - Team warmup and activities (including PK contest)
12:30-12:45 a.m. - PK contest for Northwestern fans (winners of the contest win a Northwestern mini soccer ball provided by NU Men's Soccer)
12:45-1 a.m. - Poster signing session with the 2012 NU Wildcat Soccer team

The Wildcats open the 2012 campaign at home on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. against Xavier. Single-game and season tickets for the nine home matches at Lakeside Field are now available for purchase online or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE.

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