https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...7433031680

Huskies Host Milwaukee Tuesday for Lewang Trophy

Quote:DEKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team returns home on Tuesday night, September 24, when the Huskies host Milwaukee in the annual contest for the Lewang Trophy. Kickoff against the Panthers is scheduled for 7 p.m., and admission to all NIU Soccer matches is free of charge.

Tuesday's match is Camper Reunion Night and there will also be a lunchbox giveaway to the first 50 fans in attendance.

Named in honor of former Milwaukee assistant and NIU head coach John Lewang, the Huskies and Panthers meet annually for the Lewang Trophy. Lewang came to NIU as head coach in 1980 following his time as an assistant at Milwaukee and died in a car accident after his first season leading the Huskies. Since 1981, the two teams have played for a trophy named in his honor.

"This is one of the games that we are always aware of at the start of the year," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "There is a good rivalry between the two programs, we have a lot of respect for those guys and it does have the feel of not just another game, it has the feel like a conference game or a rivalry game."

NIU brings a 2-4-1 record into Tuesday's contest, but the Huskies have won back-to-back games, including a 3-1 victory at Purdue Fort Wayne last time out (Sept. 20). Senior Christian Molina (Katy, Texas/Mayde Creek) and sophomore Miguel Maynez Jr. (El Paso, Texas/New Mexico) each tallied a goal and an assist against the Mastodons while sophomore Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley- Bourbonnais) netted his third goal of the season, Markanich is currently tied for second in the MAC in goals.

"I think there was always a belief, even when we were getting the results we wanted, that we had the quality to score goals and win games," said Swan. "The last two performances against Bradley and (Purdue) Fort Wayne were good, so hopefully we are on track now and we can keep it going."

Milwaukee brings a 4-3 overall record to DeKalb after falling at Wright State, 4-1, this past Saturday (Sept. 21). Five Panthers have scored a pair of goals this season while Evan Conway and Alex Sykes each have five points to lead Milwaukee. Freddy Lorenzen has played all seven matches in goal, posting a 1.56 goals against average and a .645 save percentage.

Last season, NIU reclaimed the Lewang Trophy with a 2-1 victory at Milwaukee. NIU trailed 1-0 at halftime before second half goals from senior Irvin Dominguez (El Paso, Texas/Richland College) and sophomore Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley- Bourbonnais) gave the Huskies the win. The Huskies and Panthers have traded possession of the trophy in each of the last four seasons, with the road team winning each of those four contests.

Following Tuesday night, NIU's next home game will take place on Saturday, October 5 against sixth-ranked Saint Mary's (Calif.). Kickoff for that match, which has previously been unannounced due to the NIU football game earlier in the day, will be at 7 p.m.

MATCH DAY!

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...2404985856

Banuelos Golden Goal Gives Huskies Lewang Trophy

Quote:DEKALB, IL – Redshirt freshman Enrique Banuelos (Mexico City, Mexico/Virginia) scored in the second minute of overtime to lift the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday night (Sept. 24) at the NIU Soccer Complex. Banuelos' 25-yard free kick gave the Huskies their third consecutive victory and helped NIU retain the Lewang Trophy.

"That was a good Milwaukee team, tough to breakdown," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "This one feels a little like a conference game, being a local rival and playing for a trophy, so it had a little more of an edge this one. I thought the guys did well and I think they are ready for the tough games coming up."

Milwaukee (4-4-0) had the first good chance of the contest in the 10th minute as combination play down the right wing led to a great chance from Evan Conway inside the box but NIU redshirt freshman goalkeeper Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) made an excellent save to keep the contest scoreless in the early going.

Sanchez made four saves while picking up his first career clean sheet.

NIU (3-4-1) nearly took the lead through sophomore Pierce Ugarte (Oak Lawn, Ill./Oak Lawn) in the 18th minute. A well-worked Huskie set piece culminated with a free header for the Huskie center back inside the six-yard box, but he couldn't direct his effort on target.

Four minutes later, sophomore Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) found a bit of space inside the box and fired a shot inches wide before taking a tackle from a Panther defender. The Huskies had a narrow, 53 percent edge in possession in the opening 45 minutes but the teams went into the break deadlocked.

Just after the hour mark, senior Jan Maertins (Rheinfelden, Germany/Marquette) had the first chance of the second stanza for NIU, whistling a shot wide.

In the 70th minute, Sanchez was called upon for the only time in the second half, stopping a shot from Conway as both teams continued to look for the breakthrough.

A Huskie corner kick in the 77th minute was half-cleared by the Panther defense before finding its way wide right for the Huskies. Junior Carlos Valdez (Houston, Texas/Richland College) swung a cross into the box where Markanich connected with an audacious overhead kick that sailed just high.

NIU had two more half-chances before the end of the 90 minutes but neither threatened the Milwaukee goal as the contest went into overtime.

Less than two minutes into the extra period, junior Alex Welch (Carmarthen, Wales/King's College Madrid) drew a free kick about 25 yards from goal. Banuelos stepped up and rocketed a shot into the upper left-hand corner, past a helpless Freddy Lorenzen in goal for Milwaukee, who could get nowhere near it, as the Huskies raced away in celebration of the overtime, game-winner.

"I thought the winner might come from Enrique or Lawrence (Kwazema)," said Swan. "Both came on late and have the ability to win games. It was great, Enrique's first career goal for us, and such an important one. He does that all the time in practice, so we figured there was an opportunity there."

NIU will take its three-game win streak on the road on Saturday, September 28, as the Huskies visit Western Illinois. Kickoff against the Leathernecks is slated for 1 p.m.

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...3246723072

GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!!

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...6382589952

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...9526039553

Four wins in a row for (the other) Huskie football.

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...3300294658

Huskies Top Western Illinois in Overtime for Fourth Consecutive Win

Quote:MACOMB, IL – Sophomore Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) scored in the eighth minute of overtime as the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team topped Western Illinois, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 28). Senior Jan Maertins (Rheinfelden, Germany/Marquette) opened the scoring early in the first half before Nick Markanich's golden goal tally gave NIU its fourth consecutive victory.

"Today was a game where we had to dig deep to find a winner," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "I didn't think we played particularly well, it was a sluggish performance. We opened well, scored a nice goal, but then all credit to Western (Illinois), they took it to us for a large chunk of the game and the game became very open.

"Martin Sanchez was arguably our best player, he had to come up with a couple of really big saves and then Nick (Markanich) finding a winner late on was certainly a sense of relief."

NIU (4-4-1) opened the scoring in the 13th minute as senior Christian Molina (Katy, Texas/Mayde Creek) played the ball toward Maertins inside the box. The senior forward fired a shot into the bottom corner, past a diving Timothy Trilk in goal for Western Illinois to give the Huskies the early lead.

Sophomore Miguel Maynez Jr. (El Paso, Texas/New Mexico) nearly added a second for the Huskies just five minutes later as his effort hit the post.

Huskie redshirt freshman goalkeeper Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) was called upon for the first time in the contest in the 23rd minute as he stopped a shot from Enric Ferrer.

On either side of the half-hour mark the Huskies had a chance as junior Alex Welch (Carmarthen, Wales/King's College Madrid) missed high and wide in the 29th minute and sophomore Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) had an effort saved by Trilk in the 33rd minute.

Less than three minutes before halftime, Western Illinois (0-9-0) leveled the match through Ryan DeBois. Arian Mehrang played the ball into the box toward DeBois and his acrobatic effort found the bottom corner past Sanchez to even the contest, 1-1, heading into halftime.

Just past the hour mark, the Leathernecks had a pair of chances that were both off-target. Daisuke Otsuka had another look at goal for Western Illinois in the 66th minute, but again Sanchez was not troubled by the shot.

Three minutes later, redshirt freshman Enrique Banuelos (Mexico City, Mexico/Virginia) tested Trilk with a low shot but the Leatherneck goalkeeper was able to make the stop as the match remained tied.

Sanchez came up with a save on a shot by Luke Duball for Western Illinois in the 82nd minute and sophomore Diego Sanz (Mompia, Spain/La Marina) was stopped by Trilk in the final minute of regulation as neither team could break the deadlock and the contest went into overtime.

In the early minutes of the extra period, both teams had looks at goal but neither goalkeeper was called upon to make a save.

Sanchez then made a stop on a shot by DuBois in the 98th minute and from the save the Huskies sprung on the counter with Anthony Markanich feeding Nick Markanich who finished past Trilk for his fourth goal of the season to win the match in overtime for the Huskies.

Trilk made three saves in goal for Western Illinois; Sanchez recorded five stops for NIU as the Huskies won their fourth consecutive match with the redshirt freshman goalkeeper between the posts.

NIU will be back in action on Tuesday, October 1, as the Huskies travel to Chicago to meet UIC. Kickoff against the Flames is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be available on ESPN3.

MATCH DAY.

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...9803132928

GO NIU!

Beat UI-Navy Pier, UI-Congress Circle, UI-Polish Sausage.

White Unis.

https://twitter.com/NIUequipment/status/...7031622656

Almost nobody but NorthCoast seems to be posting here, so ...

That said, imo, interest in soccer in the region is a huge untapped resource for NIU.

Northern needs to take advantage of the zillions of park district and school district soccer programs much better than it has. Having a first-class stadium that houses team facilities for soccer and cc/t&f would go a long way, including perhaps attendance, enrollment, revenue, etc.

STF's master plan calls for a new grandstand on the west side of the soccer field to use the Convo parking. More convenient for soccer/cc and track & field fans. Put in a stormwater retention pond to the south for better drainage, and move the shot-put, long-jump etc., facilities etc. from east to west side. Grandstand could house team facilities, subbing for at least part of the plan's Olympic Village facility.

Selling point: soccer can move out of the interior of the Huskie Stadium west grandstand, freeing up space inside for better fan facilities. Nothing will happen there without the space.

Selling point: tear down the existing soccer grandstand and use that space for a (paved?) north-south strip with a lawn "front" for rv/camper parking and tailgating for football. Parking fees for rv/camper spaces could help pay for this. Allows traveling fans to call ahead and reserve spaces. Frees up space north of Chessick now used for this. Student tailgate area/west-central campus park near the Rec Center?

This is all imo, but that's what the board is for. Northern needs to make a commitment to Olympic sports, and with it's worldwide -- and local/regional -- popularity, soccer is the best choice.

GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!

NIU draws first blood and leads UI-Jim's Original 1-0.

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...5809477638

Corruption.

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...2961819649

Losing to UIC in anything grates on me.

Did NIU get screwed in the recent 2-1 loss to UIC at UIC? I did not see the match (and am by no means a soccer expert). You decide.

Here's how UIC's official website described a critical late play: "NIU's last best chance came after a last-minute foul that was initially ruled for a penalty kick, but after conversation between the referees was correctly changed to a free kick just outside the box. The Flames defended that kick, and a late corner kick, with discipline."

Here's the NIU version: "Less than two minutes from time, senior Ethan Pitre (Minneapolis, Minn./Prairie Seeds Academy) moved past the UIC left back and was taken down on the edge of the box. The referee pointed to the penalty spot before changing his mind after consulting with the assistant referee. UIC cleared the ensuing free kick and hung on for the victory, extending the nation's longest home winning streak to 18 games."

Hmmmmm ...

Men’s and Women’s Soccer Both Earn United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award

Quote:KANSAS CITY, MO – The Northern Illinois University men's and women's soccer teams were both honored on Thursday (Oct. 3) with the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2018-19 academic year.

The NIU women's soccer team posted a cumulative grade point average of 3.38 last year while the Huskie men's soccer team recorded a 3.28 cumulative grade point average; making NIU one of 257 schools across all divisions of college soccer to have both its men's and women's programs honored.

The 2018-19 academic year was the fourth consecutive in which the Huskie men's soccer program has received the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award, and the sixth time overall. This is the 14th time the Huskie women's soccer team has earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award, and the first since the 2013-14 academic year.

Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster for the 2018-19 academic year.

Huskies Host No. 10 Saint Mary’s Saturday Night
Contest marks first visit to DeKalb by a top-10 team in seven seasons

Quote:DEKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team begins a three-game homestand this Saturday night (Oct. 5) as the Huskies welcome 10th-ranked Saint Mary's (CA) to the NIU Soccer Complex, kickoff against the Gaels is slated for 7 p.m. Admission for all Huskie soccer games is free of charge.

Saturday's contest is NIU's Soc-Tobertfest with $5 16-ounce beers and bratwursts available from the concession stand. The visit from the Gaels will be the first time a top-10 opponent has come to DeKalb since third-ranked Akron on October 13, 2012.

"It is a great opportunity to come straight over from the football game, keep your Saturday going strong and hopefully we can put on a good performance for the crowd," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "These are the games you want. We want our season to go into late November where you see new teams that you haven't seen, so this will be a good yard stick for us.

"We would love to have a good crowd because when people are here, and they are loud, it really does help. Just as we saw at UIC on Tuesday, they had a great crowd and really got behind their team."

NIU (4-5-1) saw its four-match win streak end on Tuesday night (Oct. 1) when the Huskies fell at UIC. Sophomore Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) scored his second goal of the season against the Flames, the sixth of his collegiate career. Junior Carlos Valdez (Houston, Texas/Richland College) recorded his first career assist on the Markanich goal.

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Marin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) made a season-high seven saves on Tuesday night against the Flames. Sanchez, who has started five consecutive matches between the posts, has a 0.89 goals against average and a .800 save percentage.

Saint Mary's travels to DeKalb with an 8-1 overall record after downing Sacramento State, 4-0, last Sunday (Sept. 29). The Gaels had climbed as high as No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches Rankings before suffering their lone blemish of the season against UC Davis (Sept. 26). That loss snapped a 31-match unbeaten streak for Saint Mary's that dated back to the 2017 season.

Anders Engebretsen leads the Gaels with eight goals and six assists, Joseph Restani has added another six goals this season for Saint Mary's. Remi Prieur has played all nine matches in goal for the Gaels, posting a 1.00 goals against average and a .743 save percentage.

"They were one of the premier teams in the country last year, obviously not losing a game, and they are off to a great start this year, so we are playing a very good team," said Swan. "They have some high-level players and, from what we have seen, they are very well-organized and dangerous. We are excited for it, this is the type of challenge we want to have, we want the guys to have, and we are looking forward to welcoming them to DeKalb."

Saturday's match will be the third all-time between the Huskies and Gaels, the two teams split the previous two meetings with NIU winning the most recent, 2-1, on September 22, 2013 in Evanston, Ill., as part of the Northwestern Lakeside Classic.

Following Saturday's game, NIU will continue its homestand on Tuesday night, October 8, as Eastern Illinois comes to DeKalb. Game time against the Panthers is scheduled for 6 p.m.

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...1435591681

Why wasn't Coach Swan (Scotland) featured as well?

https://twitter.com/NIUHuskiesSAAC/statu...1003006976

Huskies Host Eastern Illinois to Close Non-Conference

Quote:DEKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team will play its final non-conference game on Tuesday night, October 8, as the Huskies host Eastern Illinois. Kickoff between the Huskies and Panthers is set for 6 p.m. and admission for all NIU soccer matches is free of charge.

Tuesday's match is Diversity and Inclusion Night and a pregame tailgate will be hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Greek Life beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thundersticks will also be given away to the first 50 in attendance.

NIU (4-6-1) is coming off a setback on Saturday night (Oct. 5) at home against 10th-ranked Saint Mary's (Calif.); redshirt freshman goalkeeper Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) made four saves against the Gaels as the Huskies suffered their first home loss of the season.

Sophomore Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) is currently tied for fourth in the MAC with four goals and ranks seventh with seven points. Senior Christian Molina (Katy, Texas/Mayde Creek) is tied for seventh in the MAC with three assists

Eastern Illinois brings a 4-5-1 record to DeKalb for Tuesday night's contest after falling to Oral Roberts on Saturday (Oct. 5), 2-0. Shady Omar leads the Panthers in scoring with two goals, Omar and Cameron Behm are tied for the team lead in points with five. Jonathan Burke has appeared in nine matches in goal for the Panthers, recording a 1.55 goals against average and a .750 save percentage.

Last season, the Huskies beat the Panthers in Charleston, 2-0 (Sept. 20, 2018), sophomore Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) and Nick Markanich both scored for NIU in the victory.

Following Tuesday night's contest, the Huskies will open Mid-American Conference play on Saturday afternoon, October 12, when the host SIU Edwardsville. Kickoff against the Cougars is scheduled for 2 p.m.

MATCH DAY.

https://twitter.com/NIUMSoccer/status/11...6088954880