Sept. 4, 2002
MACOMB, Ill. - Northwestern won its second straight match Wednesday afternoon, 1-0, at Western Illinois. Tito Lara (Joliet, Ill./Joliet) scored his second game-winning goal in as many matches, and J.D. Martin (North Brunswick, N.J./North Brunswick) earned his first shutout as a Wildcat.
NU has its first winning streak since 1999 and its first 2-1-0 start since 1998.
"I think the team morale is up now," Martin said. "To get a win like that on the road is really helpful for our young guys. We wanted to get a good result, and that's what we did."
Martin went the distance for the third time this season, making nine saves as the Leathernecks took 17 shots.
Lara nailed the game-winner for NU in the 69th minute. John Dahlquist (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) corralled a loose ball, but his shot was deflected to Lara, who put in his second goal of the season.
The Leathernecks' J.D. Harrington led all players with five shots, and Dave Vargas (North Olmsted, Ohio/St. Ignatius) led the 'Cats with three.
Northwestern opens up its home slate against Valparaiso on Friday at 4 p.m. The Wildcats defeated the Crusaders, 1-0, in the final game of the 2001 regular season.
"I'm excited, the guys are excited," Martin said. "I want to get a home win now. We need to win these nonconference games so we can get things going as we head into our Big Ten schedule."