Final Stats

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. -- Two goals from senior Taylor Cole (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Hinsdale Central/St. John's) in the final five minutes pulled the Northern Illinois University men’s soccer team level until a West Virginia goal with 61 seconds to play gave the Mountaineers a 3-2 victory on Friday night at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.

“First, I would like to congratulate West Virginia,” said NIU head coach Eric Luzzi. “They got the result and on the whole of the 90 minutes they were very good. That being said, I thought our guys were good on the night also. The commitment that was displayed from our team to get those two goals back in the last five minutes of the game was heroic, that’s the only word I can come up with.

“Then to have the game decided in such a controversial manner, I’m devastated for our guys, who poured everything into the season and into this evening, especially our four seniors. On the whole I think they deserved better than to have the game decided in that manner.”

West Virginia led 2-0 as the game entered the final five minutes before a wild sequence saw three goals scored in the final 4:06.

NIU cut the West Virginia lead in half in the 86th minute. A West Virginia header near the top of the box was flicked back inside the penalty area by junior Adam Lightner (O'Fallon, Mo./Fort Zumwalt West). Senior Bertrand Gaschot (Austin, Texas/Westwood) then touched the ball on to Cole at the top of the six-yard box and the senior made no mistake, slotting a shot past West Virginia goalkeeper Alec Boerner to trim the lead to 2-1.

Just 2:38 later, in the 89th minute, the Huskies pulled even. Off a long throw, the ball ended up at the feet of freshman Max Voss (Huls, Germany/Staedtisches Gymnasium Herten) at the far post. Voss was unable to make clean contact with it but the ball popped loose to the feet a Cole who pushed a shot through a crowd in front of the goal to make the score 2-2.

The goals were Cole’s fourth and fifth of the season, tying him with sophomore Luke Read (Ilford, England/Barking Abbey School) for the team lead.

It took West Virginia just 27 seconds to regain its lead. Off the kickoff, the Mountaineers earned a free kick. Joey Piatczyc took the kick for West Virginia but it appeared that the referee had not yet whistled for play to restart. Jack Elliott got a head to the free kick, finding the net past a diving Andrew Glaeser (Walla Walla, Wash./Walla Walla/Oregon State) in goal for the Huskies and the goal, amid some confusion, was allowed to stand as the Mountaineers took the 3-2 victory.

With the loss, NIU sees its season come to a close with a 7-7-1 record, 1-3-1 in Mid-American Conference play. West Virginia improves to 7-11-0, 2-3 in the MAC.

NIU was on the front-foot immediately to begin the contest as the Huskies earned four corner kicks in the opening three minutes, but the lone chance from those set pieces was a shot from junior Cody Witkowski (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) that was deflected well high of goal.

In the 12th minute, West Virginia had a chance as a turnover in midfield gave the ball to Ryan Cain for the Mountaineers and his shot slid just wide of the post to the right of Glaeser.

Two minutes later, Witkowski connected well with Gaschot through midfield and Gaschot sliced a shot just wide from 25 yards.

West Virginia nearly opened the scoring in the 18th minute. Off a corner kick, Francio Henry found space for a near post header that came back off the crossbar. On the follow-up, Zak Leedom fired a 25-yard shot into the hands of Glaeser.

The NIU senior goalkeeper finished the match with three saves.  

Less than four minutes before the intermission, the Mountaineers broke the deadlock. Elliott sent a cross to Jad Arslan inside the box to the right of Glaeser. Arslan chipped a ball to Piatczyc at the top of the six-yard box and Piatczyc headed past Glaeser to give West Virginia the opening goal.

West Virginia created the first chance of the second 45 minutes as the Mountaineers won a corner and Haydon Bennett’s header off the Piatczyc corner went wide in the 52nd minute.

The Huskies had a couple looks at goal with just over a quarter of an hour to play. Sophomore Giovanni Garica (Chicago, Ill./Elk Grove) fired a shot high from long range in the 73rd minute and freshman Noah Brodie (Scottsdale, Ariz./Carbondale Community) headed into the hands of Boerner a minute later.

West Virginia caught NIU on the counterattack to double the lead in the 78th minute. The Huskies earned a free kick 30 yards from the Mountaineer goal but the free kick came off the wall and started the attack the other way. Heath Honold found Angerer inside the box and Angerer made no mistake, powering a shot past Glaeser to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead.

The Mountaineers nearly added to their lead in the 80th minute as Elliott hit the crossbar on a free kick and Bennett headed the rebound off the bar again and out for a goal kick as the score remained 2-1, setting up the wild final five minutes.