Northwestern University Athletics
Men's Soccer 1998 Season Recap
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
After spending the majority of last season as a substitute, junior Jonathan Cantwell exploded this season as a starter, leading the Wildcats in scoring (18 points) and goals scored (eight) and finishing fifth in the Big Ten in both categories. His midfield partner, Brandon Swalve, also stepped up, developing into a perfect complement. Swalve was the team's second leading scorer (six goals) while providing strong play in the midfield. He specialized in clutch goals, as three of his six goals were game-winners.
Junior goalkeeper Matt Keeler was the anchor of the Wildcat defense, notching 99 saves, good for second place in the Big Ten, and posting five shutouts in his 19 starts. Sweeper Dan Merz started all but one game, and fellow senior Aaron Stolberg came back from an injury which caused him to miss most of the 1997 season to start 18 games and score three goals.
Despite the results, Northwestern played some of its best soccer late in the season. The 'Cats stretched eventual national champion Indiana in a 1-0 loss, which saw Keeler make a career-high 13 saves, with the lone goal coming from current Chicago Fire player Dema Kovalenko. In the Big Ten quarterfinals against Ohio State, Northwestern rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit, getting the equilizer on a header from Swalve. However, they were unable to score again, dropping a 2-1 decision.
