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.Â
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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.
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"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."
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In the second consecutive clean sheet for Rafael Ponce de Leòn, the Northwestern backline held firm, surrendering zero shots on target.
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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.
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"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."
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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.
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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.
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"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."
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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.
Â
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.
Â
"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."
Â
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.