Sixty-eight minutes into its Thursday night season-opening match Northwestern and Eastern Illinois were both scoreless.
The Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) had numerous opportunities but failed to capitalize, while the Panthers had attempted just two shots.
After a foul, freshman midfielder Evrit Fisher sent a quick pass to graduate student midfielder Joe Suchecki down the right sideline. Suchecki crossed the ball toward midfield, where junior midfielder Peter Riesz was ready to knock a shot into the goal with his head.
He did just that, and NU was on the board for the first time this season. 1-0 ’Cats.
In the 81st minute, déjà vu struck. Freshman forward Aaron O’Reilly ran down the right sideline, lobbed up a pass in front of the goal and, again, jumping for the header goal was Riesz.
The ’Cats claimed victory over Eastern Illinois by a score of 2-0 at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. NU has not lost a season opener since 2021 against Chicago State. Coach Russell Payne’s squad entered the match having lost just one non-conference match over the past two seasons.
In the first half of Thursday’s contest, NU outshot their opponent 10-2 but was unable to score. The closest either team came to a goal was a shot from Riesz that snuck past the goalkeeper but bounced off the left post.
Along with scoring two goals in the second half, the ’Cats also turned it up on defense, allowing zero of the Panthers’ shots to reach the goal. It was the first time they held a team shotless since the second half against Trine last season.
Riesz’s two goals are more than he scored in the past two seasons combined. On his second goal, senior midfielder Jayvin Van Deventer was credited with an assist, marking his second-straight season opener with an assist.
Senior goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de León played all 90 minutes and recorded his sixth clean sheet while at NU.
NU is searching for its third consecutive winning season for the first time since 2012-14. The ’Cats qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of those three seasons, while coach Russell Payne is still looking for the squad’s first appearance since he took the helm in 2021.
NU plays its second of four straight home games to open the season on Sunday, when it takes on Air Force on Sunday at Martin Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
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