Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, October 11
Evanston, Ill.
6:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
0
vs
0
Michigan State
Photo by: Henry Frieman/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern, Michigan State Settle For Scoreless Stalemate
10/11/2025 9:15:00 PM | Men's Soccer
'Cats post second shutout in as many games
EVANSTON, Ill. (October 11, 2025) — Northwestern and Michigan State played to a 0-0 draw on Saturday night at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
The Wildcats (6-4-2, 1-3-1 Big Ten) outshot the Spartans (5-5-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten), 14-8 — with seven shots in both halves. — and commanded 53% of possession. First-year forward Aaron O'Reilly tallied a team-high four shots, two of which were on frame.
"We had a lot of possession today," head coach Russell Payne said. "We moved them around. We created some super chances. The [expected goals] has got to be almost as high as it's been all season."
Gallery: (10-11-2025) Men's Soccer vs. Michigan State
In the second consecutive clean sheet for Rafael Ponce de Leòn, the Northwestern backline held firm, surrendering zero shots on target.
Junior defender Fritz Volmar, who logged a full 90 minutes at center back, said holding Michigan State to limited looks at goal was a point of pride for the defense.
"That's exactly what you want," Volmar said. "Obviously, we want to capitalize and score, but we put ourselves in a much better position if they can't score. We pride ourselves on that."
The Wildcats will return to action on Friday, October 17 in a road clash at Penn State. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT from Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pa.
The Wildcats (6-4-2, 1-3-1 Big Ten) outshot the Spartans (5-5-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten), 14-8 — with seven shots in both halves. — and commanded 53% of possession. First-year forward Aaron O'Reilly tallied a team-high four shots, two of which were on frame.
"We had a lot of possession today," head coach Russell Payne said. "We moved them around. We created some super chances. The [expected goals] has got to be almost as high as it's been all season."
In the second consecutive clean sheet for Rafael Ponce de Leòn, the Northwestern backline held firm, surrendering zero shots on target.
Junior defender Fritz Volmar, who logged a full 90 minutes at center back, said holding Michigan State to limited looks at goal was a point of pride for the defense.
"That's exactly what you want," Volmar said. "Obviously, we want to capitalize and score, but we put ourselves in a much better position if they can't score. We pride ourselves on that."
The Wildcats will return to action on Friday, October 17 in a road clash at Penn State. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. CT from Jeffrey Field in University Park, Pa.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
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