After following up a disappointing loss to Bradley with two straight wins, Northwestern soccer earned its way back into the national Top 25 rankings. On Wednesday night, the No. 24 ‘Cats showed that it’s going to take a lot to knock them back out of the rankings.
The Wildcats (10-2-2) took care of Loyola Chicago (2-7-2) 2-0 while dominating nearly every facet of the game. They had sixteen shots (seven on goal) to only two for the Ramblers, while also having a 10-0 advantage on corner kicks.
Four of those corner kicks came within the first ten minutes as the ‘Cats came out of the gate strong. Three minutes into the match, freshman forward and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Joey Calistri was taken down in the box, earning a penalty. Senior leader Chris Ritter stepped up and hit a low-driven shot toward the left corner, but Loyola’s Peter McKeown made a fantastic diving stop.
The ‘Cats continued to control the game and create chances, and it paid off in the fifteenth minute. Ritter connected with Calistri at the top of the box, who took one touch and then coolly chipped it past McKeown and into the top right corner.
“Ritter played me a great ball, perfectly weighted, and I was able to take a touch and put it through,” Calistri said. “I just had to get it behind the keeper, and that was the easy part.”
Northwestern continued to keep pressure on Loyola, going into the half with an 11-0 advantage on shots. This “don’t let up” mindset is a result of head coach Tim Lenahan’s experience and knowledge that being favored isn’t always a good thing.
“We can’t be complacent,” Lenahan said. “We’re not that good to be complacent, and I’m too nervous for every single game that we play. I’m more nervous in these games than I was when we played Notre Dame last week.”
The unrelenting Northwestern attack proved to be too much for the Ramblers, and in the sixty-first minute, the Wildcats were able to find the insurance goal that they needed.
Calistri broke free in the box, received a pass but found himself completely covered by the defense, so he laid it back to Ritter. From about twenty yards out, Ritter blasted a low line drive, once again toward the bottom left corner, but this time McKeown had no chance.
Still, the Ramblers didn’t quit, and they had a couple of good chances toward the end of the match, but after the second goal, the outcome was very little in doubt.
When the ninety minutes had passed, there was no celebration for the ‘Cats, who guaranteed themselves a winning record on the season with the victory. Despite the nonchalance, the win continues an impressive streak for Northwestern soccer.
“This is, I believe, ten straight years where we’ve been .500 or more,” Lenahan said.
It’s also the sixth year of the last seven in which the ‘Cats have notched ten wins. Not bad, coming from a program that went winless in 2000-2001 and had only one victory in 2001-2002.
“We’ve had sustained success," Lenahan said. "That’s what a program is about."
The Wildcats look to expand on their three game winning streak when they take on Penn State at Lakeside Field this Sunday.
Calistri, Ritter lead Wildcats to win over Loyola