Hoping to bounce back after a close loss to then-No.19 Kansas City, NIU men’s soccer delivered against the Indiana University Indianapolis Jaguars (2-2-2) on Tuesday.
Driven by first-half goals from freshman forward Vance Sheffield and sophomore forward Katai Mukuka, the Huskies (3-1-1) secured a 2-1 road win against Indy.
“I’m very happy to get the win tonight,” said NIU men’s soccer head coach Ryan Swan. “It was a tough trip and I thought the guys looked a little heavy in the legs but once the game started we scored relatively early and controlled the tempo.”
The Jaguars controlled possession briefly in the starting moments, but the Huskies successfully absorbed the pressure and quickly created chances.
A low driven shot inside the box by Sheffield, assisted by redshirt freshman defender Roman Khela in the sixth minute put NIU up 1-0.
Clutch saves from Jaguars’ senior goalkeeper Cameron Maung-Maung kept IU Indy alive, despite a dominant 9-shot first half for the Huskies. In the 35th minute, an NIU turnover allowed IU Indy to convert one of their few good chances. A shot by Jaguars’ junior forward Jose Antonio Herrera inside the penalty area tied things up 1-1.
“It was certainly frustrating for us because it had come from us turning the ball over during our possession,” Swan said. “Our buildup was sloppy and they caught up in a transitional moment. But this team is a mature one and there didn’t seem to be much panic.”
Mukuka continuously tested the Jaguars’ keeper with long-range shots outside the penalty area. While the first two were blocked or off target, the third time was the charm as Mukuka’s shot found the lower right corner to put NIU up 2-1 to end the first half. Senior midfielder Jose Gomez recovered a lost ball in the midfield and sent a through ball to Mukuka for a quick response.
IU Indy made a goalkeeper change to begin the second half, subbing out Maung-Maung for sophomore goalkeeper Declan Finnegan. Despite the change, the second half played out the same as the first with NIU dominating total shots 13-5.
Finnegan followed up Maung-Maung’s 3-save performance with four of his own, keeping NIU’s offense out of the net. Goalkeeping was the difference between a close game and a blowout, with NIU generating many goal-scoring opportunities through set pieces. NIU had 22 shots compared to IU Indy’s eight but struggled to convert.
“We had several corner kicks,” Swan said. “I thought we had a couple really good looks from set pieces so we’re a little disappointed not to score from that since we worked on those.”
NIU junior forward Dasha Curiel created key chances off the bench late in the game, creating two shots and keeping the Jaguars’ defense busy.
IU Indy’s attack was sharper in the second, creating more dangerous opportunities and pressing higher. However, NIU junior goalkeeper Atahan Arslan’s 2 saves and defense did well to protect the lead, closing out this road trip with a 2-1 win.
UP NEXT
The Huskies will host the University of St. Thomas at 1 p.m. Saturday at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex in DeKalb. The game will be streamed on NIU All-Access and live stats will be updated on SIDEARM Sports.
