DeKALB | For three games in a row, the NIU men’s soccer team has held its opponents scoreless.

A 5-0 dismantling of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Sunday at Huskie Soccer Field gives NIU a 2-0-1 record over that span.

Since taking over as goalkeeper last Sunday, Joe Zimka has been a virtual stone wall between the pipes. The sophomore from Algonquin humbly credits the dirty work done by the back line.

“The back line is doing real well,” Zimka said. “The other team isn’t getting behind the ball a lot and I’m not forced to make a number of difficult saves.”

The game was slow to develop, but once NIU (6-3-1, 1-0) got all cylinders firing, the rout was on.

“It took a while to get in the flow,” NIU assistant coach Eric Luzzi said. “But once we did there was some real good stuff that came out.”

An unassisted goal by freshman forward Luis De La Cerda at the end of the first half swung the momentum to NIU and allowed the game to open up.

“The goal before half was huge,” Luzzi said. “For us to go in 0-0 would have given them more confidence. Instead maybe they thought, ‘Here we go again.'”

In the second half, NIU faced little resistance from the IPFW back line, and De La Cerda added another goal, as did junior forward Marcus McCarty, freshman forward Ben Thomas and sophomore forward Emmanuel Luvert.

Thomas had a highlight reel goal to make it 4-0. Luvert found senior midfielder Kevin Woerner just outside the penalty box.

Woerner, who had two assists, crossed a pass that Thomas deposited in the back of the net using his left foot in a score that resembled a no-look pass in basketball.

NIU hosts another MAC foe when Bowling Green University comes to town on Friday at 4 p.m.

“The first part of the season we didn’t have the connection we should,” Zimka said. “We’ve put things together lately to get the results we want.”

James Nokes is the NIU men’s soccer beat reporter for the Northern Star.