EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Evansville men's soccer team dropped its first home game of the season Friday night, falling 2-1 to Northwestern at Arad McCutchan Stadium.
Northwestern applied pressure early, recording the first few shots on goal of the game, but Evansville goalkeeper Hugo Amo (Burgos, Spain/Casper CC) stood strong to keep the Wildcats off the board.
The Aces earned their first prime scoring opportunity in the 23rd minute after Alex Tura (Barcelona, Spain/UNIR) drew a foul in the top of the box, setting up a penalty kick. Pablo Calvete (Ponferrada, Spain/UNIR), who entered the game having converted his only previous penalty kick attempt this season, found the right side of the net to give Evansville a 1-0 advantage.
Both teams continued to create chances throughout the opening half before Northwestern found the equalizer in the 41st minute, sending the game into halftime tied at 1-1.
The back-and-forth battle continued into the second half, with Northwestern outshooting Evansville 5-0 during the opening 30 minutes. Despite the increased pressure from the Wildcats, the Evansville defense held firm and kept the game tied.
The Aces generated their best chances of the second half in the 78th and 79th minutes, when Patrik Fagan (Austin, Texas/UAB) and Tura each recorded shots in front of the goal. Northwestern responded moments later, finding the back of the net to take a 2-1 lead.
Evansville continued to push for the equalizer over the final nine minutes, with Parker Bassuener (Onalaska, Wis./Shattuck Saint Mary's) and Tura each recording multiple shots. The Aces were unable to find the tying goal, and Northwestern held on for the 2-1 victory.
With the loss, Evansville moves to 0-3-0 overall, while Northwestern improves to 2-0-1. The Aces return to action next Friday when they travel to Lexington, Ky. to face Kentucky.
