Men’s Soccer: Northwestern starts October with back-to-back victories

The ‘Cats finally earn their first Big Ten win.

After opening conference play with a four-game skid, the Northwestern men’s soccer team has seemed to find their footing, picking up two huge wins this past week. While reaching the NCAA Tournament remains a long shot, Russell Payne’s squad may have left themselves just enough time to turn the season around.

Behind a season-high four goals, the ‘Cats took care of business by defeating Division III Trine University in their final non-conference match of the season. The team then traveled to Piscataway, New Jersey, where they would overcome an early deficit to earn their signature win of the season against Rutgers. Now sitting at 7-5 (with a subpar 1-4 conference record), Northwestern must continue its success this week with home showdowns against Wisconsin and Michigan.

Oct. 6: Northwestern defeats Trine 4-0

This game looked like a mismatch early on with the Wildcats’ instant aggression on offense. Northwestern picked up two quick corner kicks in the sixth minute with Trine fending off the attack. However, just three minutes later, defenseman Brandon Clagette volleyed a rebound off his chest into the back of the net, giving the home team an early lead.

In the 24th minute, Clagette was given a prime opportunity to achieve his first career multi-goal match but was denied at point-blank range by Thunder goalkeeper Aidan McGonagle. Despite outshooting their opponent 10-2 in the first half, Northwestern went into the break holding onto their one-goal advantage.

After a few missed scoring chances early on in the second half, Akinjide Awujo connected on a beautiful cross from Thaddeus Dewing in the 58th minute, adding to the lead.

It didn’t take long for Northwestern to pile on in the second half, as the Wildcats controlled the ball significantly better in the midfield. In the 74th minute, Dewing — a graduate transfer from Air Force — picked up his first goal since arriving in Evanston on a penalty kick.

Although the ‘Cats were clearly on their way to victory, scoring three goals for the first time all season, the show was far from over. In the 80th minute, forward Italo Addimandi netted what is arguably the goal of the season with a rocket from 25 yards out. The second-year player is tied for the team lead with two goals after missing the entirety of his freshman season due to injury.

Despite only scoring one goal in their previous four matches, the offense proved something to both the fans and themselves with their big second half — even against a smaller opponent. Even better, it seemed like the ‘Cats carried this confidence into their road showdown with Rutgers on Friday.

Oct 11: Northwestern defeats Rutgers 2-1

Northwestern’s first Big Ten win of the season came in thrilling fashion as the ‘Cats came from behind to beat the Scarlet Knights in Piscataway on Friday.

While the energy of a nighttime Big Ten soccer game was noticeable, both teams started slow with only one combined shot through the first 27 minutes. However, Rutgers broke through first with an impressive goal by forward Nestor Cabrera. The junior settled the ball down after a deflection, completed a 360° turn, and sent the ball past Northwestern keeper Rafael Ponce de León to give his team the early advantage.

Just a few moments later, the Wildcats missed on two scoring chances when Awujo sent a shot just off the post, and Clagette sent the rebound flying over a wide-open net.

Although the ‘Cats couldn’t convert on their first opportunity to knot things up, the squad found their stride in the 44th minute as Joe Suchecki found an open Nigel Prince who netted the equalizer. Just a minute later, Addimandi nearly put Northwestern up going into the half with a left-footed blast from just inside the 18-yard box, but the Scarlet Knights’ goalkeeper Ciaran Dalton made a diving save — his only of the match.

With both teams amassing multiple shots in the first 10 minutes after the break, it seemed evident they were playing a more aggressive style of soccer. As the offensive intensity picked up, so did the physicality, with Northwestern picking up 10 fouls in the second half alone.

Finally, in the 68th minute, Awujo was left with a wide-open net after a redirected centering pass coming from Bryant Mayer. The forward easily scored what would become the difference-maker, becoming the first Wildcat to score in back-to-back games this season.

However, the job wasn’t done yet. Rutgers nearly evened things up in the 80th minute, but Ponce de León came up with a clutch point-blank save, his second of the half. After fending off one last attack in the final minute, the ‘Cats were able to return home victorious.

Northwestern did a great job at containing Rutgers’ star midfielder Curt Calov to three shots, none of which were on goal. If the team can hold their composure against strong opponents the rest of the way, they can make some noise in the Big Ten tournament come November.

Next Up

The Wildcats will look to continue their win streak when they host the No. 25 Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday at Martin Stadium. They will also face the Michigan Wolverines, a team that got the best of Northwestern twice last season, at home on Saturday.