DeKALB – NIU men’s soccer (2-5, 0-1 MVC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over Mercyhurst University (3-4) – the first win for men’s soccer since Aug. 25.
“Coming into this game, we let a couple results get past us,” said junior forward Taylor Davis. “So, we came in strong – hungry for this game – and the team had beautiful play.”
The Huskies wasted no time lighting the scoreboard as Davis found the net 26 seconds into the match. Davis found the lower left corner after getting the assist from junior midfielder Jose Gomez.
“I thought the goal was fantastic to get that so early, but then we kind of conceded control of the game after that,” said NIU men’s soccer head coach Ryan Swan. “There were certainly lots of positives, and then there’s certainly lots of things for us to still work on.”
Davis’ goal was the only shot on goal for the Huskies. NIU was outshot 12-5 for the match.
NEW MAN IN NET
Sophomore goalkeeper Atahan Arslan made his second start of the season and picked up the Huskies’ first shutout of the season.
Arslan made 2 saves, coming in the 85th and 88th minutes.
After the match, Swan indicated that Arslan may remain a starter for the Huskies.
“He’s (Arslan) certainly a very confident keeper back there, and he does a lot of communicating,” Swan said. “So, I certainly think he’s in a good position right now to hold on to that spot.”
SHOOTING STRUGGLES
Despite the win, NIU was outshot by at least 5 shots for the fifth-straight game.
The Huskies rank last in the MVC (Missouri Valley Conference) in shots with 65 and eighth out of nine teams in shots on goal with 32.
UP NEXT
The Huskies return to action at 5 p.m. Friday to face Western Illinois University in Macomb. Live stats will be available via SIDEARM Stats.
