Northern Illinois University issued the following announcement on Sept. 21
Two goals in the opening five minutes helped the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team earn a comfortable 3-0 victory over Chicago State on Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 21) on the Turf Field at SeatGeek Stadium. Enrique Banuelos (Mexico City, Mexico/Virginia), Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) and Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) scored for the Huskies.
With the win, NIU improved to 7-1 overall while Chicago State dropped to 2-4-1. NIU's six-straight wins is the longest win streak for the program since winning six consecutive games in the middle of the 2006 campaign. The Huskies also set a new school record by scoring three or more goals in six consecutive games.
"If you look at Chicago State's results, they have been in a lot of overtime games and had a lot of close results, so it was very important that we got off to a quick start," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "We were delighted to get the two goals in the first five minutes."
It took NIU less than three minutes to open the scoring Banuelos headed home the opening goal off a corner. Adrian Corona (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central whipped the corner inside the six-yard box and Banuelos climbed above the crowd to power home the opening goal of the contest.
Less that two minutes later, NIU doubled its advantage from its second corner kick of the contest. Corona put another ball in a dangerous area and this time it was Anthony Markanich who rose highest, heading the ball into the back of the net to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead in the fifth minute.
In the 26th minute, Nick Markanich added a third for the Huskies. After creating some space for himself for a shot, the Huskie senior forward unleashed a rocket into the upper corner of the net past Chicago State goalkeeper Joe Bowles.
The goal was Nick Markanich's 10th of the season, the most in the nation, and marked the sixth consecutive game in which he has scored, tying a school record set by Eirik Frederiksen who scored in six consecutive games between Oct. 16, 1997, and Nov. 6, 1997.
After the interval, Banuelos nearly added a second goal midway through the second half with a shot that hit the post before it could be scrambled away by the Cougars defense.
In the 76th minute, Zachariah Thomas (Burnaby, British Columbia/Moscrop Secondary) burst down the wing and cut inside for a shot, forcing an excellent save from Bowles.
Two minutes from full time, Thomas again had an excellent chance that required a very good save from Bowles.
Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) finished the contest with his fifth shutout of the season, and the fourth consecutive for the Huskies. NIU has now gone 411:33 without conceding a goal.
"Chicago State was confident throughout the game, worked hard and made it difficult," said Swan. "They were very physical and very direct in their play, and I think we will see more of that in the coming week, so this was a good test for us."
NIU will return to action on Saturday night, Sept. 25, when the Huskies travel to Green Bay, Wis., to meet the Phoenix. Kickoff against Green Bay is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be available on ESPN+.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up