Aug. 31, 2008

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. - It was only a matter of time before freshman Brad Horton scored his first goal for the Northern Illinois men's soccer team.

For the Huskies, Horton (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) was right on time, as he scored in the 81st minute to break a stalemate and give NIU a 1-0 win over San Francisco, Sunday at the Northwestern Lakeside Classic. The win gave NIU the tournament championship.

Dribbling down the left channel, Horton outmaneuvered his defender and chipped a shot over oncoming San Francisco goalkeeper Eric Connor to help the Huskies move to 2-0. NIU Head Men's Soccer Coach Steve Simmons complimented the graceful score in a game that was otherwise marred by physical play that resulted in six total yellow cards.

"Brad was able to make a play there at the end that was a bit of brilliance on his part," Simmons said. "It was going to take something like that to get a goal by either team in that game."

The game that ended neatly for the Huskies didn't start that way, Simmons said.

"Early on we were loose with our touches and I think they had some opportunities, but we tightened things up and put them on their back foot," he said.

The teams each took eight shots, placing only three total on goal. Horton's was the only chance on target in the second half. Simmons credits the limited opportunities to the performance of each team's midfielders.

"It was a physical game, battled in the midfield," he said. "The game swayed a little bit, but there weren't massive momentum swings. Just enough change that each team had things going backwards a little bit at times."

In the face of such punishing play, Simmons said his entire team remained focused.

"To get a victory in a game like that you need everybody committed to being on the same page defensively," he said. "Brad was able to do some stuff that individuals like Brad are able to do, but the play of the team as a whole is what put us in a position to win."

After the match, NIU sophomore Juan Hoyos (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) was presented with the Northwestern Lakeside Classic Most Valuable Player Award. Horton, along with teammates Joe Zimka (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs) and Drew Jeskey (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) were named to the all-tournament team.

The Huskies return to DeKalb for their home opener, Friday, Sept. 5 when they host SIU-Edwardsville at 5 p.m. at the new NIU Soccer/Track and Field Complex.