September 10, 2012
BIG TEN HONOR
Ritter named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week

PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- After earning MVP honors at the NIU adidas Invite over the weekend, Northwestern senior midfielder Chris Ritter (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.

Ritter played a key role in keeping the Wildcats unbeaten after the weekend, posting the game-winning goal Friday vs. Drake and assisting on two goals Sunday in a win vs. Rhode Island, scoring four points on the weekend. Against Drake, Ritter scored his second goal of the season less than three minutes into overtime (92:25), giving NU the 2-1 victory.
On Sunday, Ritter assisted on two second-half goals, both scored by freshman forward Joey Calistri (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield), helping the Wildcats win the tournament title with the 3-2 victory over Rhode Island.
Ritter is currently tied for the team lead with six points and has helped the Wildcats remain unbeaten on the year with a 3-0-2 record. Northwestern is the lone remaining unbeaten team in the Big Ten.

This is the third career weekly honor for Ritter, who was the last Wildcat to win the award on Nov. 7, 2011 after scoring the game-winning goal in NU's 2011 regular-season finale, and Big Ten title clinching game, vs. Michigan last year.

After playing four-straight matches away from home, Northwestern returns to Evanston this weekend, hosting the Lakeside Classic. The Wildcats play Iona at 7:30 p.m. Friday and take on Milwaukee at 2 p.m. Sunday.