DEKALB, Ill. – Goals from
Luka Vasic (Toronto, Ontario/Maple) and
Tomasz Slawek (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South) early in the second half helped lead the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over IU Indy in the Horizon League opener for both schools on Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 9) at the NIU Soccer Complex.
"Great way to start conference play," said NIU head coach
Ryan Swan. "I thought from both sides it was a little sluggish to start the first half but as it went on we were grabbing a hold of the first half. Delighted that we came out so quick in the second half, scored a couple of nice goals and we controlled the game pretty well from there."
The first half featured relatively few chances, but NIU (4-2-0, 1-0-0 Horizon) did have an opportunity to open the scoring in the 37th minute as a long range effort from
Joe Hernandez (Bensenville, Ill./York Community) forced a good save from IU Indy goalkeeper Peter Field.
From the ensuing corner, Vasic nearly opened the scoring, but his header sailed over the crossbar as the game went into halftime scoreless.
Less than four minutes after the interval the hosts were in front of Vasic's third goal of the season. Khela whipped in a corner and Vasic got above his marker to power a header past a diving Field in the 49th minute to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
Slawek doubled the NIU advantage in the 55th minute as Khela fired a cross into the box that found the Crystal Lake, Ill., native all alone just inside the penalty spot. Slawek's glancing header slipped just inside the post, leaving Field rooted to his spot, as NIU went in front, 2-0.
NIU continued to create the majority of the chances as
Kevin Rodriguez (Dallas, Texas/Lone Star) forced a save by Field in the 70th minute. The rebound fell kindly to
Stevan Ljubicic (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) who finished from close range, only to be called offside.
Field made six saves in goal for the Jaguars while NIU goalkeeper
Cayden Crawford (Plain City, Ohio/Ohio Connections Academy) made three stops while picking up his second shutout of the season.
"It is great to (start conference play) with a home game, we knew a little bit about IU Indy, we played them last year and we knew it was going to be a tough game. To get the win is huge, especially with the next conference game coming so quickly on the heels of this one. Picking up three points today was essential for where our goals are for the season."
NIU will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 12, when the Huskies travel to Oakland. Kickoff against the Golden Grizzlies is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT and will be available on ESPN+.
