DeKALB- NIU men’s soccer (2-3) was stunned by the Northwestern Wildcats (4-0-1) with a late goal at the 89:46 minute mark to give the Wildcats the 2-1 win.
Wildcat senior midfielder Rom Brown scored a top left shelf goal with only a few seconds left in the game to take the lead over the Huskies.
Brown also scored a goal early that gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead to start the game.
With the loss, the Huskies drop to 2-3 on the season after a heart-wrenching loss to the Wildcats in the final seconds of the game.
Despite the loss, senior midfielder Camilo Estrada scored a goal at the 17:48 mark. This marks three goals scored in the past two games for Estrada.
WIldcats score, but Huskies respond
At the 13:14 mark, Brown scored the first goal of the game assisted by junior midfielder Collin McCay. This gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the game.
Northwestern held the lead for only four minutes. A corner kick by Estrada crossed the goal line at the 17:48 mark.
NIU head men’s soccer coach Ryan Swan liked the leadership Estrada showed despite the loss.
“I think Camilo has been doing good for us all season and has really stepped up his leadership side of the game as well,” Swan said.”
The two early goals held until the final minute of the game.
Huskies stunned at the end
With 14 seconds left in the match, Brown scored his second goal of the night to put the Wildcats up 2-1 to stun the Huskies.
“I didn’t think either team was particularly dangerous tonight. It was really I think at the end of the day, their ability to win balls middle of the field, was the bigger thing, and I think they’ve got a free kick with a minute to go,Swan said”
The Huskies have a big annual matchup with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers competing for the Lewang Trophy in which Estrada is excited about.
“Yeah, it’s exciting,” Estrada said. “Obviously, we like to play when there’s something on the line, but, you know, it’s just another game that we need to go out there and get a win”
The Lewang trophy honors former NIU head coach John Lewang who was also an assistant coach for the panthers. Lewang tragically passed in a car accident after his first season as NIU head coach. Ever since then in 1981, both schools play an annual game in honor of Lewang to play for the Lewang trophy.
The Huskies take on the Panthers at 7 p.m. Tuesday night. The match will take place at Engelmann Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be provided, via LiveStats.
