EVANSTON, Ill. (October 16, 2026) – Gabriel Smyth scored his first goal as a Wildcat as Northwestern and Penn State (2-7-2, 0-5-2 B1G) battled to a 1-1 draw this evening at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Tonight’s result sees the ‘Cats move to 5-5-2 (2-3-1 B1G).
How It Happened
Following an emotional pregame ceremony in which Northwestern recognized its senior class, the Wildcats were dealt an early blow, as Fritz Volmar was shown a red card just over 10 minutes in, reducing the hosts to 10 men for the remainder of the night.
Despite being at a disadvantage, Northwestern’s defensive unit limited opportunities for the visitors in the first half. With time winding down, Dominic Pereira came up with an impressive stop at his near post, denying Toby Grant to keep the two teams knotted up at 0-0 heading to halftime.
The Wildcats wasted no time in breaking the deadlock coming out of the intermission. Bryant Mayer let fly with a throw-in from just inside the attacking third that eventually fell to the feet of Smyth. The junior midfielder did the rest, rifling home to give the ‘Cats a 1-0 lead with only 48 seconds gone in the second stanza.
Northwestern received a pair of standout defensive plays just in front of the hour mark. With Amadou Kone taking aim at goal, Andrew Johnson came up with a vital block to protect the lead. Pereira posted arguably his top save of the night on the ensuing corner, turning away Etienne Reck from point-blank range.
Penn State would find its equalizer in the 80th minute. After Vladislav Cherny saw his effort blocked, Joseph Sheridan deposited the rebound in at the far post to salvage a draw for the visitors. Â
Looking At The Numbers
- Smyth, who netted his fourth career goal, is the 11th different Wildcat to score this season.
- Pereira closed his evening with three saves in goal.
- In addition to Pereira, Johnson, Mayer, Josue Pfrommer, and Andrew Millar all played a full 90 minutes on a wet and blustery evening in which winds gusted in upwards of 30 miles per hour.
Up Next
Northwestern returns to action on Monday, October 19, when it hosts No. 10 UCLA in a 6 p.m. CT kickoff that will air live on Big Ten Network.