Making History: 2023 PNW Men’s Soccer Team

PNW men’s soccer players celebrate with Jacob Battista, far right, after his first half goal during the 2023 GLIAC tournament championship match. PNW bested the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 1-0 to earn the conference title.

The game clock inched toward 90 minutes and the end of regulation. Purdue University Northwest’s (PNW) men’s soccer team was on the verge of entering rare air in PNW athletics history.

A goal by Jacob Battista, with the assist from Adam Morris, in the first half gave PNW a 1-0 lead over the visiting Saginaw Valley State (SVSU) Cardinals in the final round of the 2023 Great Lakes Athletic Conference (GLIAC) championship tournament, hosted at Dowling Park in Hammond, Indiana.

A tight defensive effort was crucial to seal the victory. The championship game delivered an exciting and close matchup. Both PNW and SVSU attempted eight shots each, including four shots on goal for PNW and three for SVSU. Even with seven corner kicks, SVSU could not quite capitalize. The defensive hold also earned PNW goalkeeper Eligh Williams his ninth shutout of the season.

The home crowd counted down as time expired. Cheers erupted as the clock struck all zeroes. Fans hopped the perimeter fence and poured onto the Dowling Park soccer field, joining the PNW men’s soccer players to bask in the win.

The victory marked a significant milestone for the program — the team’s first GLIAC championship and the first team conference championship in PNW athletics history. In turn, PNW’s win clinched a berth to the NCAA Division II men’s soccer tournament.

The team’s achievements stand out as an exemplary triumph that continues to inspire PNW student-athletes to resiliently compete for greatness. These exciting moments are among the victories celebrated through “Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue Northwest.”

“The 2023 team truly embodied perseverance and what it means to defy the odds,” said Rick Costello, PNW’s director of Athletics. “Their exceptional chemistry, energy, and enthusiasm leave a lasting legacy, showing that championships are within reach and inspiring our students to pursue their dreams.”

It feels amazing to be one of the first players to earn these achievements for PNW...We hope it only sets that bar higher for the future.

Hugo Lorenzo, GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year

“Climbing the mountain”

Rick Costello has proudly watched the expanded opportunities for PNW student-athletes since the university’s transition in 2019 from NAIA to NCAA Division II. The elevated placement in turn brings heightened opponents, inspiring PNW’s student-athletes to strive for excellence in a competitive landscape.

In most PNW varsity sports, student-athletes compete in the GLIAC. The group of 11 universities spanning the Midwest states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin perennially features top Division II competitors and nationally ranked teams. Given PNW’s relative newness in a conference that was first commissioned in 1972, earning those significant wins makes the taste of victory all the sweeter, says Costello.

“The GLIAC is an extremely tough conference,” he said. “Understand, we are going up against schools that have been playing at the DII level for many years. They obviously have quite the head start on infrastructure, facilities and traditions. So, when you look at a team like 2023 men’s soccer, climbing that mountain makes all that they did very special.”

The 2023 PNW men’s soccer players cemented themselves as trailblazers for PNW. Their campaign concluded with an impressive 10-4-4 overall record. Their season was also accented with several end-of-year player accolades, including the GLIAC’s men’s soccer offensive and defensive player of the year titles awarded to Hugo Lorenzo and Eligh Williams, respectively.

For Lorenzo, one of the season’s key leaders and a current Master of Business Administration (MBA) candidate, recalling the 2023 season provides motivation not just for the men’s soccer program, but all PNW student-athletes, to strive for the best in their sports.

“It just feels so amazing to be one of the first players to earn these achievements for PNW,” said Lorenzo. “Obviously, we do not want to be the last ones to achieve something like this. We hope that these accomplishments only set that bar higher for the future.”

PNW men’s soccer players celebrate with their trophy after securing the GLIAC conference championship in the men’s soccer tournament. The team’s 1-0 championship win over the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals earned a bid for the national NCAA Division II men’s soccer tournament.

“Everyone Felt Like a Winner”

What makes a successful season is more than meets the eye. Many factors need to go right.

“What I remember very well from 2023 was that the group of guys that came together had the right mixture of leadership and initiative,” said Luke Dunn, PNW men’s head soccer coach. “I like to describe a successful team as balancing stars and role players. The stars usually get the highlights and the accolades while the role players support those actions. But everyone has to be willing to be a role player, and I think that was the theme that really encapsulated that season.”

The road to the men’s GLIAC tournament, of course, was not perfect. PNW’s team hit peaks, such as delivering the ranked Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars its only regular season loss.

There were also valleys, like a 1-0 home loss against the visiting St. Cloud State Huskies. Hugo Lorenzo remembers that particular loss as a motivating turning point.

“We knew that we did not want to feel that way again,” he said. “That game taught us that it was possible for us to lose. Going forward, we had to be on our best game. It is truly only a loss if you do not learn from it.”

PNW’s national tournament draw slotted the team in the first round against familiar foe Lewis University in a game at Illinois-Springfield’s Kiwanis Stadium. Despite a hard-fought match, PNW bowed out to the Flyers in a 1-0 loss.

“Our team won as many games as it did because everyone felt like a winner,” said Lorenzo. “Sometimes, it is more about how badly you want to be a winner than what your stats say on paper. Some of the other teams we went up against, at first glance, may have been ‘better,’ but our team overall had the stronger drive when it mattered.”

The GLIAC is an extremely tough conference. When you look at a team like 2023 men’s soccer, climbing that mountain makes all that they did very special.

Rick Costello, PNW’s director of Athletics

Building on Success

The successes achieved by PNW’s 2023 men’s soccer team made significant contributions for the continued elevation of PNW Athletics’ profile.

Across 14 years of leading PNW Athletics, Rick Costello has watched hundreds of student-athletes thrive. The PNW student-athlete population has grown from approximately 125 to 530 as competitors play across 23 sports under the PNW banner.

“We continue to attract many standout student-athletes to our athletics programs and university,” said Costello. “Given their academic and athletic talents, they have many amazing opportunities to choose from during their recruitment. But they are choosing PNW because of the outstanding combination of high-quality academics and NCAA Division II level intercollegiate athletics.”

Hugo Lorenzo, who concluded his eligibility in the fall 2025 season, takes great pride in being a contributor to one of PNW’s historical “Victories” that will continue to leave an impact for future men’s soccer teams and other PNW student-athletes.

“Being able to have these opportunities – my scholarship and playing the sport I love – has meant so much to me,” he said. “From the coaching staff to fellow student-athletes, these people care about and love their programs so much. It is so amazing to be a part of this growing athletics community, sharing in the sports people love and earning a great education.”

PNW 2023 Men’s Soccer Postseason Honors

“Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue Northwest” is inspired by the powerful stories of PNW community members, like student-athletes, who positively impact and grow the university. We invite you to join us in celebrating PNW’s “Victories & Heroes” by making a gift to expand opportunities for PNW students.