‘Shut out’ was the main theme for NIU men’s soccer this weekend.

That’s because goalie Joe Zimka posted two shutouts at the Northwestern Lakeside Classic this past weekend.

The Huskies (2-0) started off the season on the right foot, as they beat both IUPUI and San Francisco in Evanston.

“It’s an expectation that I think all of us had to go out and deliver results like that,” said NIU head coach Steve Simmons. “And to do that in the fashion we did…and to come together was really exciting to see.”

NIU opened its regular season with a 3-0 win over IUPUI, a team they had not beaten in three previous tries. But the Huskies got their revenge as sophomore Juan Hoyos scored two goals against the Jaguars.

Hoyos’ first goal of the season came after the Jaguars’ keeper misplayed the ball and Hoyos took advantage.

The forward’s second goal came after a pass from sophomore Engebreth Faerden to put the team up 2-0. Hoyos ended the game with five tries at the net and three shots on goal.

Freshman Jason Guehler also notched a goal for the Huskies after a pass from senior Bryan Abdallah. NIU was able to out-shoot IUPUI 16-6.

“IUPUI is a much younger team,” Simmons said. “Against IUPUI, one of the things we wanted to do was to establish tempo from the get go. And you saw that in its reflection in the shots.”

After shutting down the Jaguars, the Huskies moved onto their match with the San Francisco Dons. The Sunday game was aggressive, but freshman Brad Horton found a way to score in the 80th minute.

Horton caught a rebounded shot to put the ball past San Francisco goalie Eric Conner. The midfielder’s unassisted goal gave the Huskies a 1-0 win over the Dons.

“With San Francisco, you are going to see them really knock on the door for a NCAA tournament bid,” Simmons said. “This was a significant win for us, and it gives us a chance to look at the good things.”

With 29 total fouls and six yellow cards between the teams, NIU had to play hard for the win against the Dons. But with the help of Zimka, the Huskies have yet to be scored on.

“Joe made some really good plays to keep us a clean sheet,” said Simmons. “But the guys in front of him are really working hard to limit opponent opportunities, so the credit goes to the 10 players out in front of him.”

Zimka’s teammates limited opponents to only five shots on goal during the Classic. The senior currently holds the school record for most minutes played without a goal at 754 minutes. The record was broken in 2006, but Zimka is starting a new streak, having gone 180 minutes without a goal.