Most of the time, athletes who walk-on to any team generally don’t have much of an impact.

They walk-on for various reasons, such as for love of the sport or just to give it a try because they have nothing to lose.

But for senior goalkeeper Brian Van Buren, his impact has not been felt until recently, but it’s been big.

After a stellar career at Sycamore High School as the Spartans’ goalie, Van Buren decided not to pursue soccer in college.

“I didn’t know much about the recruiting process,” he said. “I only got about three or four letters, nothing really serious. I thought, ‘That’s pretty much the end of it, and I had a good run while I was in there.’ At the time, it just didn’t seem like it was going to work out.”

Until Van Buren heard about an ad in a newspaper about an available walk-on spot last season.

“I wasn’t really interested in doing it, but I thought I might as well try it and see where I’m at and even see if I could play with the guys,” he said. “And I ended up making the team. It worked out for everyone.”

Starting goalie Joe Zimka’s recent quadricep injury opened the door for Van Buren to get his first playing time in his year-and-a-half with the team.

“It was very exciting,” Van Buren said of taking the field for the first time against Drake. “I was a little nervous. Joe had a great year last year. You don’t want to have a letdown in terms of drop-off of talent of play. A little bit of nervousness on that part but mostly excitement.”

Although Van Buren’s debut was a 1-0 loss, he and the team have both responded. Last weekend, the Huskies won twice, with Van Buren posting consecutive shutouts. For his efforts, he was named MAC men’s soccer Player of the Week.

“Brian has trained hard his entire NIU career to be at his peak when called upon, and that hard work paid off last weekend,” NIU coach Steve Simmons said.

Van Buren has tried hard to step in for Zimka and not let the Huskies miss a beat with him between the pipes.

“You just gotta go out and make sure you work hard every day,” he said. “The main thing is I’m glad I’m able to help the team out. I haven’t gone in there and been a reason for the team to get nervous.”

But what about when Zimka, the Huskies’ NCAA record-setting goalie, returns from his injury? How will Simmons deal with having two goalies who are able to get the job done? Will he have to make a decision?

“I hope I have a tough decision every game,” Simmons said. “If that’s the case, these guys have made it difficult. Let’s hope so.”

For now, Van Buren is content helping the team get victories, no matter how long his stay in goal is.

“We’ll see how Joe is when he gets back and let the coaches make the decision,” he said. “But it won’t affect the way I go out and practice or play. I’m gonna go out there and work hard every day.”