‘Cats Earn Point, Blank No. 10 UCLA In Scoreless Stalemate

EVANSTON, Ill. (October 19, 2026) – Northwestern (5-5-3, 2-3-2 B1G) earned its second result of 2026 against a top-10 ranked foe this evening, as it played to a 0-0 draw with No. 10 UCLA (7-2-5, 3-2-3 B1G) at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.

How It Happened
The Wildcats wasted no time stepping on the gas, generating a pair of dangerous opportunities in the game’s opening stages.  With just over seven minutes gone, Aaron O’Reilly took aim at goal from just inside the 18-yard box, but sent his effort narrowly wide of the near post.  Ethan Nakolo threatened to open the scoring two minutes later, forcing a point-blank stop from UCLA goalkeeper Ryan Tiltack.

After outshooting the visitors by a 6-3 margin across the opening 45 minutes, Northwestern went back on the attack coming out of halftime. Evrit Fisher played a pinpoint ball toward the far post in the 47^th minute that found Andrew Millar flush, but Tiltack was up to the task again in goal, turning away Millar’s close-range look to keep the game scoreless.

Following an outstretched save from Dominic Pereira in the 53^rd minute, the ‘Cats again charged forward, as O’Reilly was turned away by Tiltack.  The Bruin netminder found himself under fire again just before the hour mark as, following a misplay of a free kick, Nakolo sent his shot screaming past the near post.

Millar and Marco Silva both made bids for a late winner inside the final 15 minutes.  Millar unleashed a right-footed rocket that Tiltack got a hand to before Silva saw his deflected try go agonizingly wide of the far post as the two teams were ultimately forced to settle for a draw.

Looking At The Numbers
- Playing without captain Fritz Volmar due to a red card suspension, Northwestern turned in a classic defensive performance, limiting a high-powered UCLA attack to just one shot on goal as it became the first team to shut out the Bruins in 2026.
- The ‘Cats closed the night with a 16-7 advantage in shots, putting four of their attempts on target.
- O’Reilly and Nakolo both let fly with a team-high three attempts, while Millar paced Northwestern with a pair of shots on goal.

Up Next
Northwestern is back in action on Friday, October 23, heading to Bloomington, Ind. for a 6 p.m. CT meeting with No. 2 Indiana at Bill Armstrong Stadium.