By the time Northwestern captain and graduate student midfielder Joe Suchecki donned a sky blue jersey and goalkeeper gloves, NU’s Big Ten home opener against Rutgers Friday was already well off the rails.
But after two red cards Friday night, a penalty rattled off the crossbar and a potential equalizer disallowed for offside, Suchecki’s booming goal kick deep into the Evanston night sealed a chaotic 2-1 win for the Wildcats (5-2-1, 1-1-0 Big Ten).
“He looked cute,” senior defender Nigel Prince said postgame of his captain’s new getup.
Prince added that he would play forward if it meant winning, too. The gesture encapsulated his team’s willingness to do whatever it takes to get three points, he said.
The evening started almost as frantically as it finished. Five minutes in, senior forward Alejandro Martinez Santamaria’s cutback from the left-wing byline found freshman forward Aaron O’Reilly unmarked at the top of the six-yard box. The Naperville native made no mistake from close range, and the ’Cats got on the board early.
Martinez Santamaria turned from provider to finisher for NU’s second. A through ball from junior midfielder Baraka Tarleton split two lines of the Scarlet Knights (4-2-1, 1-1-0 Big Ten) defense, putting the Spaniard through on goal for a one-on-one finish in the 18th minute.
“That was probably the hardest pass of the whole season,” Martinez Santamaria said. “We’ve got that roommate connection, and we finally got to see it.”
Coach Russell Payne said his team had chances early in matches throughout the season, but it converted those opportunities into goals Friday night. NU could have scored a third, but a golden chance at the back post for senior midfielder Doug Hainer glanced just wide.
A 30th-minute Rutgers cross ricocheted off junior defender Fritz Volmar into the back of the net, giving the Scarlet Knights a lifeline.
As the game wore on, Payne said NU was forced to take its foot off the gas due to a lack of depth. The ’Cats entered the match with a few players unavailable, he said, and junior defender Bryant Mayer joined the injury list when he left the match early on.
“The guys that you want to sub in certain positions aren’t available, and you just have to start subbing in guys who haven’t played those positions,” Payne said. “And that can be tough for the guys.”
With the visitors pushing farther forward and the hosts retreating into a defensive block, redshirt junior midfielder Henri Richter found himself occupying a right-sided center back role.
An arching through ball in the 87th minute from Rutgers midfielder Joschi Schelb split NU’s two central defenders, and with Scarlet Knights forward Andrew Kitch bearing down on goal, Richter dragged him down.
The play was ruled a penalty and a red card offense, setting off a cascade of Rutgers chances in the last three minutes of the game. Martinez Santamaria said he couldn’t believe his team’s defensive effort as he watched from the bench.
“They gave everything they had, and they didn’t concede the goal,” he said.
Schelb’s penalty attempt crashed off the crossbar. Rutgers defender Sawyer Koza hit the bar again seconds later, and Schelb’s attempt to clean up the rebound was cleared off the line by diving freshman defender Andrew Johnson.
The Scarlet Knights thought they had their equalizer when Kitch ran between NU’s center backs again and found the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
With 17 seconds left and Rutgers throwing everything but the kitchen sink at the ’Cats, a momentary bobble by senior goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de León led Rutgers midfielder Timo Jansen to lunge for the ball at the NU goalmouth.
As Ponce de León smothered the ball, the NU keeper pushed the Dutchman away, sparking a shoving match between players on both teams. Ponce de León was sent off, bringing NU down to nine players and no one in goal. Suchecki seized the opportunity to reintroduce himself as a goalkeeper — if only for 17 seconds.
Payne said the end of the match showed that his team is still figuring out how to stay cool in the heat of the moment.
“I never want to have another three minutes like that again,” he said. “But I love the fact that we’re gritty and gutsy because gutsy teams can find a way to win games.”
The night was also the first of NU’s two-match “NUestros Colores” series to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Mariachi NU performed a halftime show, and Latino Music Ensemble at NU serenaded fans from kickoff to the final whistle.
WNUR Sports broadcast the match in Spanish and English. The station will do the same for the second match of the series Thursday, in which NU women’s soccer will host Ohio State.
NU will travel to face Maryland this Friday. Payne called the Terrapins one of the top teams in the country and said the match will require everything the ’Cats have and more.
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