EVANSTON, Ill. – The University of Evansville men’s soccer team saw their six-match unbeaten streak come to an end Tuesday night, falling at Northwestern by a score of 1-0. The match was a defensive battle, with the Aces and Wildcats combining for only three shots on goal.
Tancredi Fadda (Monza, Italy Liceo Carlo Porta Monza/University of Milan) tallied Evansville’s first two shots of the night, including the match’s first shot on goal in the 16th minute. Just over ten minutes later, newly minted MVC Defensive Player of the Week Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) made his lone save of the night.
Northwestern broke through in the 28th minute, with Peter Riesz finding the back of the net to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
Just before the halftime intermission, Álvaro Timón (Toledo, Spain/Valencia International University) threatened for the Aces with a pair of shots, including a promising chance that was blocked out of play for a corner kick, but was not able to put a shot on target as the score remained 1-0 heading into the break.
The defensive battled continued in the second half, with neither side able to put a shot on target, while Evansville held the Wildcats without a shot. Pablo Calvete (Ponferrada, Spain/UNIR) and Håkon Edstrøm (Baerum, Norway/Norges Toppidrettsgymnas) put up shots for the Aces early in the period, but neither landed on goal.
The Evansville attack increased its pressure in the final 15 minutes of the match, putting together a couple of threatening chances. The first came on a dangerous ball into the box for Andres Escudero (San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain/IES Joan Miro), but a quality challenge by the Wildcats’ defense thwarted the chance. In the 81st minute, Devin Shepherd (Denver, Colo./Arapahoe) earned a free kick deep in the Aces’ attacking half, but Evansville was unable to generate a shot, and the Aces were shut out for the first time in four matches.
“When you come on the road against a Big Ten team and you have one mistake in the back, they punish you,” said Head Coach Robbe Tarver. “I thought dictating the tempo of the game, we did well, we created some good moments on the ball, but just not quite enough to really put them under and create a lot of chances.”
“We didn’t give up a shot in the second half, we had five, but I think that ultimately you have to create more to win on the road.”
“We are in a good spot, we are going to move forward and Saturday’s the most important thing right now.”
With the loss, Evansville moves to 4-3-5 overall. UE remains on the road this weekend, traveling to Des Moines, Iowa to take on Drake for a crucial MVC match on Saturday. Kick-off is set for 7 PM.
