The NIU men’s soccer team needed to convert more scoring opportunities on offense.

Bernhard Hagevik and Rasih Pala answered the call, netting five goals against Marshall on Friday.

However, defensive breakdowns at the end of the first half and in the last 15 minutes of the game allowed the Thundering Herd to come back from a 5-2 deficit to defeat the visiting Huskies.

Pala’s move to offense finally proved its worth when Matt Stukenberg shot a crossing pass to Pala, who scored the first goal of the game at the 39:43 mark.

The NIU offense struck 12 minutes and 16 seconds later, when Hagevik scored his second goal of the year after swiping a pass from Marshall and scoring from 10 yards out.

The Huskie defense could not hold Marshall’s explosive offense scoreless the first half, allowing the Thundering Herd’s Granit Caushaj and Jared Dombrowski to tie the game in the last three minutes before the break.

Hagevik made up for the lack of defense when he scored six minutes and nine seconds into the second half on another unassisted goal by dribbling past Marshall netminder Matt Salmon.

Pala scored his second goal after heading in a pass from Eric O’Reilly only 4:52 later.

Hagevik recorded a hat trick after cleaning up a shot from Pala to score NIU’s final goal at the 29:17 mark of the second half.

Marshall’s comeback was sparked by Brent Sobcak, who maneuvered through three Huskie defenders and rocketed a shot from 30 yards out past NIU goalkeeper Steve Goletz.

The Huskies’ biggest blow came when a loose ball in front of a crowded Huskie goal was deflected in by an NIU player to knock the lead down to one.

The MAC’s all-time leading scorer, Byron Carmichael, finally busted out when he positioned himself in front of Goletz and put in a header to knot the score at five.

Marshall (7-8-0, 3-2-0) scored the winning goal 39 seconds later on a penalty kick by Firas Al-Sammarale and held NIU scoreless the remainder of the game.

NIU (4-13-0, 2-4-0) arrived at Kentucky on Sunday a little banged up and wore down from travel.

“Steve Goletz was injured in Friday’s match and that was big,” head coach Willy Roy said. “The travel wears on you, especially a young team like us.”

Hagevik picked up where he left off on Sunday against Kentucky, putting NIU on the board first at the 14:42 mark after receiving a pass from Thomas Meiner, and booting a shot past Wildcat goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum inside the near post.

Kentucky marched back in the second half when Chris McDaniel was left open on a corner kick and scored at 53:17 to tie the game.

Anthony Peters scored the game winner for Kentucky when he put in a header past Goletz with 11:52 left.

“We fight and fight, and then we make a silly mistake,” Roy said. “We can’t get over the hump.”