During two home games in four days against Chicago rivals, Northwestern fought hard but didn’t get the results it wanted, drawing with Loyola Chicago 1-1 and losing to UIC 2-3. The Wildcats controlled possession at times in both games but couldn’t finish their chances, leaving them searching for answers before their first road trip of the season.
Northwestern 1, Loyola Chicago 1 (Aug. 29)
Northwestern set the tone early, turning pressure into chances almost from kickoff. In the second minute, Joe Suchecki muscled into a tackle to win the ball
and slipped it to Peter Riesz, whose shot was blocked behind for the first corner. The Wildcats couldn’t convert there, but they seized control of possession and field position.
That pattern continued through the opening spell. A fifth-minute corner, earned after Evrit Fisher sprung Suchecki down the right, ended with a Riesz header sailing high. Five minutes later, Riesz chased down a long diagonal from Andrew Johnson on the left, only for his under-duress cross to die in traffic.
NU kept the momentum in the 14th minute. After a central feed from Tyler Glassberg, Aaron O’Reilly beat two defenders with a vertical burst and smashed a drive that crashed off the right post.
“There were definitely struggles on converting some of those chances,” Northwestern head coach Russell Payne said. “I think that’s going to be the key for us is that those moments have to end up on target.”
The half grew increasingly physical, and Suchecki went into the book for unsporting behavior. Loyola’s best moment before the break came at the 24th, when Antonio Pinto carried down the left and fired from a tight angle, but NU keeper Rafael Ponce de León was there to deny.
“It’s a game that we expect to be physical,” Payne said. “But I would have preferred that we were on the better side of some of those.”
The breakthrough finally arrived in the second half at the 54th. The Wildcats regained possession quickly in their own half and launched a counterattack. With two defenders draped on him, Tre Barrett cushioned a chest control and calmly laid off to Suchecki. NU suddenly outnumbered on the opponent’s half — four on two — and Suchecki dished a measured ball left to Alejandro Martinez Santamaria. The Spaniard played a slick one-two back into Suchecki’s path, and the captain buried a left-footed finish across the keeper into the right side netting.
“I know I can trust him. I know he can trust me with the ball there. And that’s the connection that we’re working on,” Suchecki said postgame.
NU nearly doubled the lead a minute later when Suchecki’s 20-yard free kick whistled just over the left side of the bar. Then came a pivotal swing at 62’: Suchecki bent in a dangerous corner, and Fisher climbed above everyone to thump a header down and in — only for the flag to go up. The goal was waved off for offside, denying Northwestern a 2–0 cushion.
Even so, the Wildcats kept hunting for a second in the 68th minute. Suchecki fed O’Reilly on the counter, and the freshman cut inside to unleash a long-range shot that Velasco blocked away.
From there, LUC grew into the game, carving out more of the ball and testing NU’s shape. The Ramblers finally found their moment at 83’. Off a throw-in deep in the Wildcats’ territory, Jack McFeely took a touch and slipped a precise ball to Pinto, who guided a clinical finish into the top-right corner to level it at 1–1.
Northwestern 2, UIC 3 (Sept. 1)
Facing another Chicago rival at home on Labor Day, Northwestern was eager to secure a win before leaving Evanston with a smile, but the plan went wrong again at last.
The first half showcased NU’s difficulty in finding rhythm. While the Wildcats maintained possession but struggled to attack through the final third, the Flames were sharp on the counterattack. In the 24th minute, Edouard Nys opened the scoring with a stunning strike from outside the penalty area, curling the ball into the top-left corner of the net.
“(The first half) looked like we lost our chemistry,” Payne said. “Guys are doing the opposite of what they thought their teammates were going to be doing.”
UIC immediately built on its momentum. At the 26th minute, Carlos Nevarez’s shot rattled the crossbar and bounced back into play, keeping the Flames’ pressure constant. Northwestern’s defense remained alert, with Johnson blocking a follow-up shot from Rui Reis and Ponce de León denying Daniel Zepeda’s attempt off the ensuing corner. Still, the first half ended with NU largely dormant offensively.
The second half saw Northwestern gain some offensive traction. In the 50th minute, Suchecki’s corner found Nigel Prince, whose header was blocked by a UIC defender. But just three minutes later, the Wildcats’ momentum was interrupted as UIC doubled its lead. Reis dribbled through traffic and slid a precise pass to an unmarked Darrell Turcios, who slotted a low finish inside the far-right post.
NU fought back. In the 62nd minute, Jason Gajadhar recovered the ball in midfield and headed it to Suchecki, who later linked with Martinez Santamaria for a quick one-two before blasting a left-footed strike into the bottom-right corner to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Two minutes later, Northwestern evened the score. Johnson switched play to O’Reilly on the right side of the box, who cushioned the ball under pressure and set up Prince. The senior defender climbed above the pack and powered a header into the left corner, tying the game 2-2.
“(That momentum) was just us playing our game,” Prince said. “This is what we are drilling on the training ground every day. I think it’s our identity.”
Despite the equalizer, NU could not hold the advantage. In the 84th minute, UIC capitalized on a loose ball in the penalty area, with Turcios finishing into the left side of the net to restore the Flames’ lead. Northwestern pushed in the closing minutes but could not find another equalizer, falling 3-2.
Payne disagreed that the Flames’ late-game winner was a fluke.
“It’s a trend,” he said. “It’s a trend we have to correct. There are a number of things we got to do to overcome that trend.”
Next up, Northwestern will travel on the road, facing Xavier (Sept. 6), UCLA (Sept. 12) and Riverside (Sept. 18) before returning home to battle Rutgers (Sept. 19).
