Sunday, August 24
Evanston, Ill.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
2-0-0, 0-0-0
2
vs
1
Air Force
0-2-0, 0-0-0
1
2
F
Air Force
0
1
1
Northwestern
1
1
2
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Suchecki, O'Reilly Lift 'Cats Over Air Force, 2-1
8/24/2025 4:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer
Martinez Santamaria adds two assists in win
By: Jake Epstein, NUSports.com
EVANSTON, Ill. (August 24, 2025) — Although Northwestern and Air Force had never faced off prior to Sunday's midday clash at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, Wildcats' head coach Russell Payne's 11-season stint at Army West Point afforded him an extensive primer on service academy soccer.
"We knew we were going to get full commitment from our opponent on every play," Payne said. "We talked about and focused on enjoying the hard fight. We knew they were going to bring the hard fight. Our growth area is competing, fighting and then being composed."
Behind goals from Joe Suchecki and Aaron O'Reilly, the Wildcats (2-0) defeated the Falcons, 2-1. Alejandro Martinez Santamaria, who arrived in Evanston as a transfer from Milwaukee, tallied his first two assists with the program. Northwestern outshot Air Force by a 22-5 margin in the victory.
Just as they'd done Thursday night against Eastern Illinois, the 'Cats built an early shot advantage but couldn't break the deadlock. After 40 minutes of scoreless action elapsed, the teams appeared destined to enter the half knotted at 0-0.
"We had a pretty defined game plan of going after these guys," Suchecki said. "We trust in our quality and a big part of our approach today was resilience. Right before the game started, I told the guys, 'The team we're playing is a bunch of warriors. It's a military branch, but you just have to keep going. Eventually a ball will break.'"
In the 42nd minute, a breakthrough arrived in full force, embodying the composure Payne's group has strived for on the training ground.
A brilliant bit of link-up play between Martinez Santamaria and Tre Barrett left Suchecki free in the box. The graduate student slotted his first goal of the season into the bottom right corner, giving Northwestern a 1-0 halftime advantage.
"It's taken us some time to learn Joe in terms of where he's best with this current team," Payne said. "Joe has great leadership qualities, but he's got great attacking instincts as well. You saw that today. He's a no-nonsense guy. He wants to win, so he's going to drive this team."
Martinez Santamaria again showcased his distributive flair in the 52nd minute, lofting a cross toward O'Reilly. The first-year fended off his defender and took a touch across his body before blasting a right-footed effort into the back of the net.
"He's got that Spanish flair," Suchecki said of Martinez Santamaria. "He's got the vision. He's always looking for the little tricks, the little disguise passes. It's really annoying to play against and I'm happy he's on our team — not against us."
O'Reilly, who has logged starts in his first two collegiate contests, became the first Northwestern true first-year to score a goal since the 2023 campaign (Fritz Volmar and Bryant Mayer).
The Naperville, Ill., native said he's thrilled to have received such early faith from the Wildcat coaching staff, but he knows the work has only just begun. That didn't stop an emphatic Cristiano Ronaldo-esque celebration to cap off his first career tally.
"It was amazing — first career goal in a real game," O'Reilly said. "I was super happy. It's definitely different [from] scoring in club soccer. It's a great feeling, scoring in front of my dad."
With just over four minutes remaining in the match, Quinn Muderlak capitalized on an Air Force corner kick to cut the Northwestern lead in half, 2-1. While the headed goal precipitated a tense final stretch for the Wildcats, the hosts ultimately fended off the late charge to secure their second victory of the year.
Payne chalked up the concession to immaturity, but he said it'll give his squad another element to work on during the upcoming week. Suchecki, Payne's veteran captain, echoed a similar sentiment.
"There's always things to work on," Suchecki said. "It's great to have two wins, but every game you can pick out little times and places where something wasn't as sharp as it could be. That's the beauty of the game. There's no such thing as a perfect game, and the best thing you can do is strive to play a perfect game. You get closer and closer, and that's what improvement is."
Northwestern will be back in action on Friday, August 29 at home against local foe Loyola Chicago. Kickoff from Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium is slated for 6:30 pm CT.
Gallery: (8-24-2025) Men's Soccer vs. Air Force
EVANSTON, Ill. (August 24, 2025) — Although Northwestern and Air Force had never faced off prior to Sunday's midday clash at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, Wildcats' head coach Russell Payne's 11-season stint at Army West Point afforded him an extensive primer on service academy soccer.
"We knew we were going to get full commitment from our opponent on every play," Payne said. "We talked about and focused on enjoying the hard fight. We knew they were going to bring the hard fight. Our growth area is competing, fighting and then being composed."
Behind goals from Joe Suchecki and Aaron O'Reilly, the Wildcats (2-0) defeated the Falcons, 2-1. Alejandro Martinez Santamaria, who arrived in Evanston as a transfer from Milwaukee, tallied his first two assists with the program. Northwestern outshot Air Force by a 22-5 margin in the victory.
Just as they'd done Thursday night against Eastern Illinois, the 'Cats built an early shot advantage but couldn't break the deadlock. After 40 minutes of scoreless action elapsed, the teams appeared destined to enter the half knotted at 0-0.
"We had a pretty defined game plan of going after these guys," Suchecki said. "We trust in our quality and a big part of our approach today was resilience. Right before the game started, I told the guys, 'The team we're playing is a bunch of warriors. It's a military branch, but you just have to keep going. Eventually a ball will break.'"
In the 42nd minute, a breakthrough arrived in full force, embodying the composure Payne's group has strived for on the training ground.
A brilliant bit of link-up play between Martinez Santamaria and Tre Barrett left Suchecki free in the box. The graduate student slotted his first goal of the season into the bottom right corner, giving Northwestern a 1-0 halftime advantage.
"It's taken us some time to learn Joe in terms of where he's best with this current team," Payne said. "Joe has great leadership qualities, but he's got great attacking instincts as well. You saw that today. He's a no-nonsense guy. He wants to win, so he's going to drive this team."
Martinez Santamaria again showcased his distributive flair in the 52nd minute, lofting a cross toward O'Reilly. The first-year fended off his defender and took a touch across his body before blasting a right-footed effort into the back of the net.
"He's got that Spanish flair," Suchecki said of Martinez Santamaria. "He's got the vision. He's always looking for the little tricks, the little disguise passes. It's really annoying to play against and I'm happy he's on our team — not against us."
O'Reilly, who has logged starts in his first two collegiate contests, became the first Northwestern true first-year to score a goal since the 2023 campaign (Fritz Volmar and Bryant Mayer).
The Naperville, Ill., native said he's thrilled to have received such early faith from the Wildcat coaching staff, but he knows the work has only just begun. That didn't stop an emphatic Cristiano Ronaldo-esque celebration to cap off his first career tally.
"It was amazing — first career goal in a real game," O'Reilly said. "I was super happy. It's definitely different [from] scoring in club soccer. It's a great feeling, scoring in front of my dad."
With just over four minutes remaining in the match, Quinn Muderlak capitalized on an Air Force corner kick to cut the Northwestern lead in half, 2-1. While the headed goal precipitated a tense final stretch for the Wildcats, the hosts ultimately fended off the late charge to secure their second victory of the year.
Payne chalked up the concession to immaturity, but he said it'll give his squad another element to work on during the upcoming week. Suchecki, Payne's veteran captain, echoed a similar sentiment.
"There's always things to work on," Suchecki said. "It's great to have two wins, but every game you can pick out little times and places where something wasn't as sharp as it could be. That's the beauty of the game. There's no such thing as a perfect game, and the best thing you can do is strive to play a perfect game. You get closer and closer, and that's what improvement is."
Northwestern will be back in action on Friday, August 29 at home against local foe Loyola Chicago. Kickoff from Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium is slated for 6:30 pm CT.
Team Stats
AFA
NU
Goals
1
2
Shots
5
22
Shots on Goal
2
7
Saves
5
1
Corners
6
8
Fouls
6
10
Scoring Plays
Joe Suchecki (1)
Assisted By: Alejandro Martinez Santamaria , Tre Barrett
GOAL by NU Suchecki, Joe Assist by Martinez Santamaria, Alejandro and Barrett, Tre.
41:34
Aaron O'Reilly (1)
Assisted By: Alejandro Martinez Santamaria
GOAL by NU O'Reilly, Aaron Assist by Martinez Santamaria, Alejandro.
51:59
Quinn Muderlak (1)
Assisted By: Oliver Becker
GOAL by AFA Muderlak, Quinn Assist by Becker, Oliver.
85:51
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
3
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
2
SOG
1
Goals
1
Assists
0
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
2
Shots
3
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's SoccerF
/ Men's SoccerM
/ Men's Soccer
D
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