DeKALB — Senior forward Nick Markanich shined with a hat trick as the hot Huskies romp the Western Illinois University Leathernecks 6-0. 

“It was a great feeling,” Nick Markanich said in an NIU Athletics news release about his hat trick. “I always talk to Coach Swan when I have two goals, asking him to leave me in so that I can get one more, it happened tonight, and I am excited to get my first career hat trick and to keep scoring goals.” 

NIU controlled the ball early and often from the start of the match resulting in an 11th minute goal by Nick Markanich with an assist by redshirt senior midfielder Pepe Martinez.

The Huskies locked down the Leatherneck offense from the first score on and held them to only five total shots in the game and zero on goal. 

In the 36th minute, senior defenseman Anthony Markanich passed a beautiful through ball to his brother Nick Markanich for his second and penultimate goal of the night. 

Only two minutes later, Nick Markanich dribbled into the box and was fouled by a Leatherneck defenseman, setting up an opportunity to put his team up by three. Markanich put the ball through the net for his nation leading ninth goal of the season.

Coming out of halftime, the Huskies were sharp off the kickoff and squandered the Western Illinois attack for the rest of the game. In the 70th minute, sophomore midfielder Roland Dearborn scored his first goal of the season for NIU. 

Senior forward Kevin Miguel Maynez Jr. crossed a ball low to sophomore forward Kevin Galiano who scored in the 85th minute to make the score 5-0. 

Three minutes later in the 88th minute, sophomore midfielder Diego Maynez netted a goal to finish off the match 6-0. 

“Everyone is excited for when their opportunity arrives, and you saw that tonight,” head coach Ryan Swan said. “We kept the standard high and three guys, Galiano, Dearborn and Maynez, took their chances very well. Hunger is driving us at the moment. Everyone is hungry to be on the field and everyone is hungry to be contributing to the exciting things we have going on right now.” 

The Huskies will take on Chicago State at 2 p.m. Tuesday at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.