Northwestern
2-0-0, 0-0-0
NJIT
0-2-0, 0-0-0
Northwestern Notches Second Straight Victory, Beats NJIT 1-0
8/28/2023 3:08:00 PM | Men's Soccer
EVANSTON, Ill. — For the first time since 2014, Northwestern men's soccer has won its opening two matchups, as senior midfielder Rom Brown's goal proved to be the decider in the Wildcats' 1-0 victory over NJIT on Sunday.
"We don't project out about what the season means," head coach Russell Payne said about the team's early success. "Games have to be played on the field, not in the history books. It just means this group is applying what they can do."
Entering the match, Payne's options up front were limited. Senior forward Joseph Arena, who played 24 minutes in the season-opener, was sidelined with a right foot injury. Another forward, graduate student Ugo Achara Jr., is still working his way back from a knee injury.
Payne said he was concerned about his depth up top, in turn prompting a shift in the team's midfield shape from the opener against St. Thomas to Sunday's game. Against the Tommies, Payne employed a diamond in the midfield, but facing the Highlanders, Payne opted for a midfield pivot of Brown and first-year midfielder Peter Riesz.
Payne is optimistic that the diamond shape will make its return once the team is fully healthy, but he said the double pivot provided an opportunity for the 'Cats to play to their strengths.
"We realized that our midfielders are actually starting to gel," Payne said. "We could see that it'd be a benefit to play our midfielders together as opposed to the diamond where they weren't getting connected as much. We're being flexible."
That flexibility shone through in the game's lone tally, which was started and finished by Brown.
In the 25th minute, Brown dropped deeper in possession, eventually playing senior forward Justin Weiss in behind the NJIT backline. Weiss held the ball up well before laying it off to an unmarked Brown, who calmly slotted the ball home for his first goal of the season and fourth of his career.
Northwestern would hold on to the one-goal lead for the final 65 minutes of regulation, clinching its first clean sheet in 2023, a second consecutive victory and the program's first 2-0-0 start in nearly a decade.
The 'Cats have only played 180 minutes of soccer, but optimism abounds following the hot start.
"It's really exciting for the program," Brown said. "We have our coaching staff that are working day and night to make this place an excellent program and the guys are so committed to what we're doing here. It's not a surprise … we all came early to make something special happen."
Sunday Shutout ??
— Northwestern Men's Soccer (@NUMensSoccer) August 27, 2023
25' ?? Brown pic.twitter.com/rtsyLkr9l1
Team Stats
Rom Brown (1)
Assisted By: Justin Weiss
GOAL by NU Brown, Rom Assist by Weiss, Justin.
24:41
