Humberto Lara has done it again.
Tito, as Lara is commonly known, scored a dramatic game winner in Northwestern’s 1-0 victory over Loyola Wednesday night.
Down one man due to an ejection, the Cats (8-9, 0-4 Big Ten) streaked down the left side, setting up a cross from Dave Vargas to Lara in the box. Breaking past two defenders, Lara lined up the shot only to be taken down from behind.
The resulting penalty kick was a piece of cake for Lara, who drilled the ball upper-90 past Ramblers goalkeeper Greg Stellatos in the 61st minute. It was Lara’s fifth game-winning goal of the season, tops in the Big Ten.
“I just got the opportunity. I tried to dribble past them, and they took me down,” Lara said. “It feels good, since we were down a man, that we pulled off a win.”
Despite playing with only ten men from the 41st minute on, NU was unphased for the rest of the game, controlling the tempo with solid defensive play.
Loyola (3-14) couldn’t take advantage of the short-sided Cats, managing only nine shots — most of which were taken from outside the penalty box.
“This is the first real stripe we’ve earned, winning a difficult game in difficult conditions,” NU coach Tim Lenahan said. “We all played unselfishly today, and for us, as a team, it’s a huge win.”
The loss extends Loyola’s losing streak to 14 games and marks the second time the Ramblers have lost to a team playing a man down. On Oct. 13, the Ramblers lost 3-2 to a 10-man Valparaiso squad, blowing a 2-0 lead in the second half.
NU started strong in the first half, taking advantage of a disorganized Loyola defense. After the opening Loyola kick, the Cats launched a strong counterattack, which set the tone for the rest of the game.
Good ball control characterized the half, with NU’s Dave DeHorn and Jeremy Cook leading from the midfield, and forward Alexander Renzi repeatedly beat Loyola defenders.
Along with Vargas and Adam Sirois, the Cats’ midfield kept the offense organized for most of the match.
In an attempt to bypass NU’s strong play in the midfield, Loyola went to the long ball. But the Cats’ defense, anchored by Jaro Pylypczak and Paul Elkins, proved why it’s one of the Big Ten’s best.
The potential turning point of the game came in the 41st minute on an NU drive into the Loyola box.
Scrambling for a loose ball, Cats’ defender Brad Napper struck Stellatos as he was diving for the ball. Despite the resulting red card and Napper’s early exit, the Cats retained their composure and continued to dominate the Ramblers.
“I’m really proud of the way the guys played after the red card,” Lenahan said. “We played a great second half.”
NU goalkeeper J.D. Martin stole the show after the break, making four great saves against the surging Loyola offense. But the Ramblers’ offense proved to be the team’s undoing, as its open backfield set up Lara’s scoring drive.
After Lara’s penalty kick gave the Cats the lead, Loyola opened up even more on offense, though the Ramblers broke into the box only a handful of times.
Martin held on for his seventh shutout of the season, a new NU single-season record. He is now fifth on the Cats’ career shutout list.
“We had a rough game against Michigan,” Martin said of the Cats’ 5-0 loss on Sunday. “To come against a rival with 10 men and win … Look at how high the confidence of this team is right now.”
The Cats’ next match comes on Saturday against Big Ten rival Wisconsin, the first of two conference matches to end the regular season.
Lenahan said he was encouraged by the inspired play of the Cats on Wednesday.
“Every game’s different,” he said. “We did a great job battling,, and it would be great if we can get a result (on Saturday). We really came together today.”
NU 1
Loyola 0
