After scoring his second goal in two games, freshman Brad North tried to celebrate. But it wasn’t easy.
“I was swarmed by my teammates,” he said. “They all kind of attacked me.”
The goals were the first two of the season for North, who has nursed an ankle sprain since the preseason. His offensive outbreak helped the Northwestern men’s soccer team earn a 1-1 record on its two-game Midwestern road trip.
The Wildcats (6-5-4, 0-3-1 Big Ten) dropped their first match on Friday, losing 2-1 to Michigan (11-4, 3-1). Two days later, NU bounced back with a 2-0 victory over IPFW (5-8-1).
The Michigan game got off to a rough start, with the Wolverines scoring in the 23rd minute to take a 1-0 advantage. The Cats battled back, tying the game at one on North’s goal in the 43rd minute. North took a pass from Gerardo Alvarez and rocketed a bicycle kick past Michigan’s goalie.
NU was poised to take the tie score into halftime, but the Wolverines’ Adam Bruh put a dent in that desire, scoring a 45th-minute goal to give Michigan a 2-1 lead.
“It was devastating,” North said. “Coming off such a high and then having such a low — it drowned it all out.”
According to coach Tim Lenahan, the Cats outplayed Michigan in the second half, but NU couldn’t get the equalizer. Although the Cats have made improvements this year, they must play nearly flawlessly to win a conference game.
“There’s a pecking order in the Big Ten, and we’re still reaching a little bit,” Lenahan said. “We’re still the youngest team in the league.”
The Cats had little trouble handling independent IPFW. Both North and Gerardo Alvarez scored for NU, helping goal keeper Brian Heckenbach earn his third shutout.
“I don’t think about things like that,” Heckenbach said. “It’s all about winning to me. But a shutout is always nice, too.”
Even with the lead, Lenahan said he never took a moment to relax during the game.
“Every coach in the country is nervous on the sidelines when it’s 2-0,” he said. “If they tell you they’re not, they’re lying to you.”
Unlike Michigan in recent years, IPFW isn’t known for its strong soccer program. But not all opponents can provide top-level competition, Lenahan said.
“You can’t play Duke and Indiana every single game,” he said. “You have to occasionally have a game where your personnel is better than the other team.”
The Cats close out their nonconference slate Tuesday against Illinois-Chicago (7-4-2). But the Cats’ third game in five days won’t be an opportunity for NU to rest its players. The Flames are riding a four-game winning streak, including a 2-1 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay on Sunday.
The Cats have lost two straight to Illinois-Chicago, which holds a 9-6-2 edge in the series.
Tuesday’s game is especially important because NU must win two of its final three regular-season games to finish above .500 for the first time since 1988.
While the Cats are hoping to finish with a winning record, they’re also looking to gain Chicago-area bragging rights. NU, which has already defeated Loyola and DePaul, wants to be known as the Chicago area’s strongest soccer team.
“To beat all the teams in a certain place, it means we’ve done our job,” North said. “Being champions of something is a good feeling.”
