Tarleton Stunner Earns ‘Cats 1-1 Draw At Notre DameTarleton Stunner Earns ‘Cats 1-1 Draw At Notre Dame
Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics

Tarleton Stunner Earns ‘Cats 1-1 Draw At Notre Dame

Box Score

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (August 23, 2026) – Baraka Tarleton’s strike in the 76th minute secured Northwestern a 1-1 draw against host Notre Dame (0-1-1) this evening at Alumni Stadium in South Bend, Ind.  Tonight’s result sees the ‘Cats complete the opening week of the regular season at 1-0-1.

How It Happened
Northwestern looked to strike early, as Peter Riesz tested Notre Dame goalkeeper Blake Kelly with a left-footed blast from 20 yards out just under a minute in.  After seeing Gino Cervoni tally his first save of the night in the 21st minute to keep the game level at 0-0, Michael Capretto put the Fighting Irish on top just 70 seconds later, chipping in to make it 1-0.

Toryn Penders looked to provide a near immediate response to Capretto’s opener, firing high of goal in the 25th minute.  Kelly kept the ‘Cats off the board just past the half-hour mark, collecting Andrew Johnson’s headed effort as Notre Dame took a one-goal advantage into the halftime locker room.

Northwestern amped up its pressure coming out of the intermission as it looked to draw level.  Bryant Mayer came agonizingly close just in front of the hour mark, as his shot towards the far post bested Kelly, only to be cleared off the line by the Fighting Irish. Making his 2026 debut, Aaron O’Reilly let fly with his bid for an equalizer in the 74th minute, as he ran onto the end of a Cervoni delivery before narrowly sending his shot over the bar.

Tarleton provided the magic moment with 15 minutes remaining in the second half.  After seeing Gabriel Smyth’s shot blocked off a corner kick, Tarleton collected the resulting rebound and deposited a right-footed rocket into the top-left corner to level the score at 1-1.

Cervoni came up with one of the night’s defining moments in the closing stages.  With Capretto bearing down on goal in the 89th minute, the Wildcat netminder dove to parry away the left-footed blast to help Northwestern secure an impressive early-season result.

Looking At The Numbers
- Tarleton tallied his fourth career goal and second as a Wildcat.
- Smyth, who unleashed a team-high four shots, was credited with his third career assist on Tarleton’s tally.
- The Wildcats closed the night with a 13-10 edge in shots, in addition to a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.
- Northwestern put six of its 13 attempts for the night on target, besting Notre Dame in the category by a 6-3 margin.
- Making his Northwestern debut, Cervoni notched a pair of saves in goal.

Up Next
Northwestern is back on the road on Friday, August 28 for a 7 p.m. CT clash with Evansville in Evansville, Ind.