Engineering students pitched AI chatbots, interactive dashboards and exploratory data analysis to head coach Russell Payne and the panel. Men’s soccer is coming off a record of 9-7-1 overall in 2024.
Northwestern men’s soccer, a program on the rise coming off consecutive winning seasons, is leaning into data analytics as it looks to build momentum heading into 2025.
Head coach Russell Payne served as a judge during a recent hackathon run by Northwestern Engineering students in the Master of Science in Machine Learning and Data Science (MLDS) program.
Hosted by MLDS at The Garage, Northwestern’s hub for entrepreneurship and innovation, the 48-hour hackathon gathered more than a dozen interdisciplinary groups to huddle in the space and compete for winning ideas that would improve player training and team performance.
Students pitched AI chatbots, interactive dashboards and exploratory data analysis to the panel, which included faculty and Payne, who asked groups for new ways to augment traditional decision-making and player evaluation — the kind of work that coaches have always done through instinct and observation.
Students in the hackathon pitched AI chatbots, interactive dashboards and exploratory data analysis.
“This process has been helpful already because it gives us objective data to back up — or challenge — what we see in practice and games every day,” Payne said.
The numbers: In 2024, Northwestern earned a record of 9-7-1 overall. The Wildcats scored 21 goals and surrendered 19. They recorded 200 shots and faced 149. And goalkeepers made 40 saves while the team forced the opposition to make 48.
More than a dozen teams of nearly 70 students gathered for 48 hours to develop solutions and pitch to a panel of judges that included men’s soccer head coach Russell Payne.
Breaking down data: Hackers used large language models to break down piles of team and player data and create tools such as easy-to-read dashboards that highlight the strengths and weaknesses of Northwestern opponents and identify areas for improvement in specific tactical situations like defending corner and penalty kicks. Using Wyscout, the world’s biggest library of soccer video and data, other teams crafted tools quantifying individual player statistics to simulate off-season training goals and opportunities to improve technical skills such as dribbling, passing and heading.
Applications to recruiting: Payne and his staff are also excited to apply data analysis to recruiting in the era of the transfer portal, which has become a key element in building a new team each year. “All this information we have on our players also is available on others around the country,” Payne said. “So, we can ask the same questions of players we don't coach to identify strengths, weaknesses and potential fits.”
Real-world challenges: For students, an event like the hackathon provides essential experience, according to Jordan Betterman, graduate student manager of the men’s soccer team and an MLDS student. It’s a chance to apply theoretical coursework, take in client feedback and tackle real-world problems, he said.
Coach’s POV: Payne was energized by the experience, which he said was like having an extra staff member.
“We’re a naturally competitive group,” he said. “And it’s a bonus to have access to these talented entrepreneurs and innovative thinkers who can help us take our game to the next level, especially because the margins are so thin in the Big Ten.”
