EAST CHICAGO, Ind. — IU Northwest men's soccer led for nearly a quarter of the second half before Viterbo rallied with two late goals, including a penalty kick in the 82nd minute, to escape East Chicago with a 2-1 win on Wednesday.
The RedHawks broke a scoreless deadlock in the 64th minute when Cesar Lopez scored the first goal finishing off a Chase Beals assist to put IU Northwest ahead, 1-0. Carter Levesque and the Redhawks defense held that lead for more than 10 minutes despite facing a steady barrage of Viterbo pressure, with Levesque turning away repeated looks from Jokubas Jancauskas throughout the half.
Viterbo finally broke through in the 75th minute, as Jesper Kok leveled the score at 1-1 off a Jancauskas assist. The visitors completed the comeback in the 82nd minute when Jancauskas converted a penalty kick to put Viterbo ahead for good, 2-1.
IU Northwest pushed hard for a late equalizer, peppering Viterbo goalkeeper Alexis Da Ponte with chances in the final 10 minutes. C. Lopez had a look denied, Gavin Niebel was turned away, and even Levesque joined the attack late in search of a leveler, but a penalty kick attempt from C. Lopez in the 87th minute sailed wide, and the RedHawks couldn't find the equalizer.
Levesque finished with four saves in a losing effort, while Viterbo's Da Ponte made two stops of his own. Viterbo held a significant edge in shot volume, firing 21 attempts to IU Northwest's 10, but the RedHawks made the most of their chances for much of the match before the late Viterbo surge decided it.
IU Northwest hits the road Saturday, Oct. 3, to face Grace Christian University in Grand Rapids, Mich. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
