DeKALB | In his second start of the season, NIU goalkeeper Joe Zimka blanked No. 12 Notre Dame Wednesday in a double-overtime 0-0 tie.

Zimka recorded five saves as the Irish rocketed 24 shots at the Huskies (5-3-1).

NIU defenders Chris Rufa, Matt Galanes, Kyle Knotek and Drew Jeskey held Notre Dame (4-3-2) in check, said NIU men’s soccer coach Steve Simmons.

“What a result for us,” Simmons said. “You’re talking about playing a ranked team after coming back from a West Coast trip in a short turnaround time. Resilient is the word that comes to mind.”

The tie represents a stepping stone for NIU. Against its last ranked opponent, the NIU men’s soccer team fell 5-0 to No. 5 Washington. Also, the Irish have made four-straight NCAA tournament appearances.

This fall, Zimka is off to a hot start after taking over for senior Matt Corcoran. Corcoran started the first seven games of this year before giving way to Zimka.

As a freshman last season, Zimka started two games but returned to the bench without a win.

After a 1-0 win over Portland Sunday, the sophomore is 1-0-1 when starting in net for the Huskies this season.

“Joe did really well in the air,” Simmons said. “But he also came out from the box and challenged.”

Simmons said freshman defender Kyle Knotek was the man of the match, but NIU must now turn its focus to MAC play.

“We open up our MAC schedule Sunday,” Simmons said. “The level of importance won’t drop off. The fact that it’s our first conference game makes it very important.”

Sean Connor is an NIU men’s soccer reporter for the Northern Star.