Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Northwestern Makes Final Preparations Ahead of Big Ten Slate
9/10/2025 2:16:00β―PM | Men's Soccer
'Cats open league slate Friday at UCLA
Following a five-game non-conference stretch, Northwestern will kick off its Big Ten schedule Friday night at UCLA. The West Coast clash, slated for a 9 p.m. CT start, will be streamed on B1G+.
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The Wildcats (3-1-1) played their first four matches at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium before picking up a 1-0 road victory at Xavier last Saturday.
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"We're involving different tactics into our game," graduate student midfielder Joe Suchecki said. "We're adding different things, different adjustments and we're growing in terms of maturity as a team. Going into our last game, we tried to emphasize having a mature game. We just kept going, trusted the process and eventually it broke through. That's something to hold onto."
Β
Head coach Russell Payne, now in his fifth season at the program's helm, said the campaign's opening three weeks provided various tests that set the stage for conference play.Β
Β
"When you schedule games, you want to give your guys different tests for the opportunity to build a postseason resume and get them ready for conference play," Payne said. "Our opponents grew in strength and difficulty over the course of the season in terms of what they presented us. The guys got the variety, intensity and competitiveness of this non-con slate."
Β
Northwestern incorporated 14 newcomers into its squad this season, a figure that includes seven transfers and seven first-years.Β
Β
During the season's opening five matches, three first-years (Andrew Johnson, Aaron O'Reilly and Evrit Fisher) recorded starts, while a pair of transfers (Baraka Tarleton and Alejandro Martinez Santamaria) cracked the starting 11.
Β
"It's been a process β 14 new guys, new faces, new habits to pick up, little intricacies," senior defender Nigel Prince said. "Those hard games, hard environments breed that camaraderie. We're finally gelling, finally clicking and the guys are really becoming one out there."
Β
Martinez Santamaria, who transferred in from Milwaukee this season, began the season as a rotational piece but quickly commanded a starting role on the left wing. Payne said the former Horizon League standout became an immediate priority for the staff when he entered the portal.
Β
"From a data standpoint, [Martinez Santamaria] had some of the highest metrics of any player in the transfer portal," Payne said. "We saw his goals minus [expected goals] were the highest of anybody in the portal, and we were like, 'Whether this guy scores or gets assists, he's somebody that's going to be a big production guy for us.'"
Β
His 87th-minute cross that found the head of sophomore Omar Jallow last time out helped the Wildcats secure a gutsy road win.
Β
The Spaniard leads the Big Ten with five assists this season, all of which have come in his past four games. Martinez Santamaria's teammates have quickly found appreciation for the winger's "Spanish flair."
Β
"I'm always confident, that's a big part of my game," Martinez Santamaria said. "I try things that other people don't. I just keep being myself all the time."
Β
On the goalscoring front, five Wildcats have recorded tallies this season, with Suchecki netting a team-high three goals. Payne said the "scoring by committee" approach makes the offense far more difficult to shut down.
Β
Northwestern has outshot opponents by an average of 17.2 to 7.6 shots per game, with senior goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de León sporting a 64.3% save percentage to go along with a pair of clean sheets.
Β
But as Prince has become especially familiar with, the margins in conference play that separate wins, draws and losses become razor thin.
Β
"We know the Big Ten's a beast," Prince said. "We know the onslaught that comes on that gauntlet, but we're ready for it. We're more than ready for it. All the lights and whatever, we don't care about that kind of stuff. We're out there to win. We're out there to play. We're out there to compete."
Β
The Wildcats were tabbed to finish 11th of 11 conference squads in the preseason Big Ten coaches poll. When he learned the news, Payne provided a one-word response: "Good."
Β
A similar sentiment has settled in among his players.
Β
"It drives us, we're always overlooked," said redshirt junior Jason Gajadhar, who came back from a torn ACL to regain his central midfield role this season. "We're looked down upon and it drives us even more. We do it for the people we're grateful for. Who cares if people look down on us? We're gonna come out and fight for every ball."
Β
With a pair of California contests ahead of the commencement of classes next week, Northwestern is looking to both build early momentum in conference play and capture its first-ever win over the Bruins in Los Angeles.
Β
Although they'll be more than 2,000 miles west of their home turf, the Wildcats are embracing the role of road warriors.
Β
"We have a motto in our program: 'Mature teams are at home anywhere,'" Payne said. "Our job is to go out there compete, fight, scrap and play our game. It doesn't matter who we play. That's our job. They're a good team. We respect them. But we're gonna play our game and go out there and be at home."
Β
The Wildcats (3-1-1) played their first four matches at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium before picking up a 1-0 road victory at Xavier last Saturday.
Β
"We're involving different tactics into our game," graduate student midfielder Joe Suchecki said. "We're adding different things, different adjustments and we're growing in terms of maturity as a team. Going into our last game, we tried to emphasize having a mature game. We just kept going, trusted the process and eventually it broke through. That's something to hold onto."
Β
Head coach Russell Payne, now in his fifth season at the program's helm, said the campaign's opening three weeks provided various tests that set the stage for conference play.Β
Β
"When you schedule games, you want to give your guys different tests for the opportunity to build a postseason resume and get them ready for conference play," Payne said. "Our opponents grew in strength and difficulty over the course of the season in terms of what they presented us. The guys got the variety, intensity and competitiveness of this non-con slate."
Β
Northwestern incorporated 14 newcomers into its squad this season, a figure that includes seven transfers and seven first-years.Β
Β
During the season's opening five matches, three first-years (Andrew Johnson, Aaron O'Reilly and Evrit Fisher) recorded starts, while a pair of transfers (Baraka Tarleton and Alejandro Martinez Santamaria) cracked the starting 11.
Β
"It's been a process β 14 new guys, new faces, new habits to pick up, little intricacies," senior defender Nigel Prince said. "Those hard games, hard environments breed that camaraderie. We're finally gelling, finally clicking and the guys are really becoming one out there."
Β
Martinez Santamaria, who transferred in from Milwaukee this season, began the season as a rotational piece but quickly commanded a starting role on the left wing. Payne said the former Horizon League standout became an immediate priority for the staff when he entered the portal.
Β
"From a data standpoint, [Martinez Santamaria] had some of the highest metrics of any player in the transfer portal," Payne said. "We saw his goals minus [expected goals] were the highest of anybody in the portal, and we were like, 'Whether this guy scores or gets assists, he's somebody that's going to be a big production guy for us.'"
Β
His 87th-minute cross that found the head of sophomore Omar Jallow last time out helped the Wildcats secure a gutsy road win.
Β
The Spaniard leads the Big Ten with five assists this season, all of which have come in his past four games. Martinez Santamaria's teammates have quickly found appreciation for the winger's "Spanish flair."
Β
"I'm always confident, that's a big part of my game," Martinez Santamaria said. "I try things that other people don't. I just keep being myself all the time."
Β
On the goalscoring front, five Wildcats have recorded tallies this season, with Suchecki netting a team-high three goals. Payne said the "scoring by committee" approach makes the offense far more difficult to shut down.
Β
Northwestern has outshot opponents by an average of 17.2 to 7.6 shots per game, with senior goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de León sporting a 64.3% save percentage to go along with a pair of clean sheets.
Β
But as Prince has become especially familiar with, the margins in conference play that separate wins, draws and losses become razor thin.
Β
"We know the Big Ten's a beast," Prince said. "We know the onslaught that comes on that gauntlet, but we're ready for it. We're more than ready for it. All the lights and whatever, we don't care about that kind of stuff. We're out there to win. We're out there to play. We're out there to compete."
Β
The Wildcats were tabbed to finish 11th of 11 conference squads in the preseason Big Ten coaches poll. When he learned the news, Payne provided a one-word response: "Good."
Β
A similar sentiment has settled in among his players.
Β
"It drives us, we're always overlooked," said redshirt junior Jason Gajadhar, who came back from a torn ACL to regain his central midfield role this season. "We're looked down upon and it drives us even more. We do it for the people we're grateful for. Who cares if people look down on us? We're gonna come out and fight for every ball."
Β
With a pair of California contests ahead of the commencement of classes next week, Northwestern is looking to both build early momentum in conference play and capture its first-ever win over the Bruins in Los Angeles.
Β
Although they'll be more than 2,000 miles west of their home turf, the Wildcats are embracing the role of road warriors.
Β
"We have a motto in our program: 'Mature teams are at home anywhere,'" Payne said. "Our job is to go out there compete, fight, scrap and play our game. It doesn't matter who we play. That's our job. They're a good team. We respect them. But we're gonna play our game and go out there and be at home."
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