Northwestern, Loyola Chicago Battle To 1-1 Draw

By: Jake Epstein, NUSports.com

EVANSTON, Ill. (August 29, 2025) — With crosstown rival Loyola Chicago entering Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium for a Friday night non-conference clash, Northwestern anticipated a grueling 90-minute test against its southward neighbors.

That expectation held true as the Wildcats (2-0-1) tied the Ramblers, 1-1. Graduate student midfielder Joe Suchecki scored the go-ahead goal in the 55th minute, while Loyola's Antonio Pinto rescued a draw with an 84th-minute equalizer. The result preserved both squads' undefeated starts to the season.

Gallery: (8-29-2025) Men's Soccer vs. Loyola Chicago

"It was a battle every minute, every play," said Suchecki, who took his goals tally to a co-team-high two on Friday. "Give those guys credit — they fought. Our guys fought as well. I think we should have come away on top, and we had a lot of chances in the first half, but that's the game."

While the teams combined for 13 first-half shots, neither side found a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes. First-year forward Aaron O'Reilly, the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week, nearly put Northwestern in front with a 14^th-minute shot that struck the woodwork.

At the other end, Rafael Ponce de León posted two first-half saves to preserve a 0-0 halftime scoreline. The Wildcats have yet to concede in an opening half this season.

Northwestern went on the attack almost immediately in the second half. Less than 10 minutes into the half, Alejandro Martinez Santamaria broke free on a counterattack. The Spaniard played a low driven ball to Suchecki, who buried a bar-down, left-footed finish.

"That's just Ale," Suchecki said. "He plays with his head up, he's really good at that, he's always looking for options and I know I can trust him. I know he can trust me with the ball there, and that's just a connection we're going to keep trying to work on and hopefully improve."

Although Suchecki appeared to add an assist to his statline on a corner kick just six minutes later, the official ruled that the outswinging ball drifted out of bounds before reentering the field of play, waving off a potential insurance goal.

Pinto's conversion, which came off a throw-in from a dangerous area, proved to be the final shot on target in the 1-1 draw.

"We're never satisfied with the draw, but I am just proud of this group because we keep getting together and getting stronger," Northwestern head coach Russell Payne said. "The maturity part of tonight is just learning how to get the details right late in the game and close it out. We lost a mark for a split second, and the guy snuck in behind and scored."

Suchecki said the game's physical nature was the closest simulation to conference play the Wildcats have seen thus far.

He added that it will be crucial for the team's younger contributors to gain this experience ahead of the Big Ten slate's arrival in September.

"Out of all the games we played, including preseason games, this is the closest to a Big Ten game," Suchecki said. "Last season, especially in the beginning of conference play, we struggled with the physicality and went 0-4. This is a great wake-up call. Every play, you've got a battle. You can't ease off the gas pedal."

Northwestern will be back in action Monday night at home against UIC. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT.

Payne said he expects more of the same on short rest.

"They're a good ball-playing team, they're undefeated as well," Payne said. "We expect a top-level, highly-contested contest."

Northwestern, Loyola Chicago Battle To 1-1 Draw

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Team Stats

Joe Suchecki

Alejandro Martinez Santamaria

Aaron O'Reilly

Andrew Johnson

Players Mentioned

Alejandro Martinez Santamaria

Aaron O'Reilly

Joe Suchecki

Northwestern University Athletics