The NIU soccer team has come out of hibernation to capture some impressive exhibition wins this spring.

The latest triumph for head coach Willy Roy and his team came Saturday at an eight-team outdoor tournament at Madison, Wisc.

The Huskies advanced to the title game and were facing host Wisconsin-Madison, when forward Andy Lane was injured with seconds left in overtime of a scoreless battle.

Roy inserted the only player remaining on his bench—goalie (and son) Markus Roy—who promptly nailed the game-winning shot for a 1-0 NIU win.

Huskie goalie Danny Green got the shutout as Roy played his freshmen and sophomore players extensively. “It was nice to see some of the kids step up,” Roy said. “I was a little concerned about the conditioning factor, so I told the players to let the ball do the running.

“It was a nicely played soccer game,” Roy said. The win “made for a joyous ride back to DeKalb.”

The triumph at the Madison tournament comes on the heels of the Huskies participation in the 16-team Northwestern Indoor Classic.

NIU again advanced to the title game before falling 4-3 to Indiana in overtime.

“We’ve had a nice spring so far,” Roy said. “I’m kind of excited because a lot of our young guys got playing time. It’s nice to see we can compete against those schools.”

Roy said the Huskies plan on hosting some spring games in the near future, weather-permitting.