Getting shut out for only the second time this season, NIU men’s soccer (5-3-3, 1-0-2 MVC) was unable to find the back of the net in a 0-0 tie with the Western Michigan University Broncos (3-8-2, 0-1-2 MVC) on Saturday.
With the draw in Kalamazoo, Michigan, the Huskies now sit third in the Missouri Valley Conference, behind the University of Evansville and Belmont University.
“I think a draw is probably a fair result,” head coach Ryan Swan said. “It was a really closely contested battle, but at the same time I think we probably created the best chances. We had a couple of really good opportunities and couldn’t quite find that finishing touch. When we put it all together, I suppose we have to be happy with it. And I think when we reflect back on the season, this will maybe be a big point on the road.”
The Huskies recorded 4 shots in the first half, two of which were on goal, while the Broncos made five attempts at the net.
The best chance for Western Michigan came in the 76th minute, when redshirt sophomore defender Christian Shannon’s shot to the top of the net was saved by NIU junior goalkeeper Atahan Arslan.
“What Atahan adds to us all the time is his communication,” Swan said. “His distribution was very good, and he came and dealt with some crosses. And then when he’s called into action on a point blank save, he came up with a massive save for us.”
The Huskies’ best chance came from freshman forward Vance Sheffield in the 87th minute, forcing Broncos redshirt junior goalkeeper Alex Lindewirth to make the save.
The two sides continued to look for the game-winner, each recording a shot in the final minute of play. Sheffield missed wide for the Huskies before redshirt sophomore forward Alex Markovski’s header went high for the Broncos.
Swan attributed the shutout as a combination of strong defensive efforts from the Broncos and a slower offensive performance from NIU’s offense.
“Obiosuly Western Michigan is out here rigging for their lives after a slower conference start,” Swan said. “They were really tuned in defense and really worked very hard at the same time. I thought some of our decision making in the final third wasn’t as good as it usually is, and we weren’t quite as clean and technical in and around the box as we would like to be. I don’t think we matched their energy level early in the fame, and then later on when we did, we just seemed to be a little loose on the technical side.”
The Huskies were outshot 15-10, while leading 5-4 in shots on goal. Senior midfielder Jose Gomez led the team with 3 shots, two of which were on target, followed by redshirt sophomore midfielder Joe Hernandez, who made two attempts at the net.
Arslan recorded his fourth clean sheet of the season while making 4 saves.
UP NEXT
The Huskies return home to take on Belmont University at 6 p.m. Saturday at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. The game will be streamed on NIU All-Access and live stats will be available on SIDEARM Sports.
“It’s another huge game, with Belmont still unbeaten on the season,” Swan said. “Obviously they’re a very good team. I thought the commitment on the defensive side was really good today, and that’s going to help us win games. I think there were times that our front three didn’t do a good enough job or holding on to or just battling for the ball a bit and we conceded some duels to Western Michigan’s defenders. That’ll be a big focal point for us and then just expanding what we’ve been working on, moving the ball quickly and getting into dangerous areas.”
