Final Stats

DEKALB, Ill. -- Two goals in less than five minutes late in the second half helped Milwaukee to a 2-1 victory over the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team on Tuesday night at the NIU Soccer Complex. Sophomore Luke Read (Ilford, England/Barking Abbey School) scored his team-best fifth goal of the season for the Huskies in the defeat.

"Tonight was the exact opposite of what most of our games have been," said NIU head coach Eric Luzzi. "Most of the other games we battled and competed to give ourselves a chance to win late. Today, we scored early and I think some guys took their foot off the gas a little bit, which was disappointing.

"Credit to Milwaukee, as I said before the game, they are a better team than their record indicates. But the biggest thing for me is that we had a handful of guys that, individually, had poor days, either with their soccer or competing and winning their individual battle. When you have five or six guys that have a bad day, it is going to be hard to beat anyone.

NIU (6-3-0) opened the scoring in the 10th minute as Read found the net for the Huskies. Off a corner kick by freshman Amit Tal (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park), freshman Adrian Coardos (Evanston, Ill./Niles North) had the initial shot that came back off the crossbar. On the follow-up, senior Bertrand Gaschot (Austin, Texas/Westwood) had a shot cleared off the line that deflected to Read who flicked the ball home from inside the six-yard box to open the scoring.

Neither goalkeeper was called into action again until the 38th minute when Dustin Ashley got on the end of a free kick for Milwaukee from about 10 yards but NIU senior goalkeeper Andrew Glaeser (Walla Walla, Wash./Walla Walla/Oregon State) got down low to his right to smother the shot as the Huskies took a 1-0 lead into the intermission.

Milwaukee had the first good chance of the second half in the 54th minute as a long cross was knocked down to Tinashe Marowa inside the box with space but his shot was right at Glaeser and comfortably held by the Huskie goalkeeper.

Two minutes later the Huskies had a chance to double their advantage as freshman Max Voss (Huls, Germany/Staedtisches Gymnasium Herten) just missed the near post with a low drive from 20 yards.

In the 73rd minute, freshman Nixon Urrutia (Houston, Texas/Dobie) fired a shot from just outside the box and Milwaukee goalkeeper Agustin Rey was just able to get a hand to it and keep it from finding the net.

Just three minutes later, the Panthers levelled the match. Francesco Saporito took a corner for Milwaukee that was helped on by Jason Svensson to Jonathan Stadler and the back post. Stadler smashed home a shot from inside the six-yard box on the half-volley to tie the contest.

In the 80th minute, Milwaukee pulled in front as Nick Moon curled a shot inside the far post from 25 yards past a diving Glaeser to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead.

"This one will sting, as it should," said Luzzi. "We will take a day off and when we come back to prepare for next week I expect that the guys will be focused and ready to go."

The Huskies will be back in action next Tuesday, Oct. 13, when they host IUPUI at the NIU Soccer Complex. Game time against the Jaguars is scheduled for 7 p.m.