Final Stats

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Senior Taylor Cole (Clarendon Hills, Ill./Hinsdale Central/St. John's) scored his first career goal in the 102nd minute to lift the Northern Illinois University men’s soccer team to a 3-2 double overtime victory over Marquette on Friday night at Valley Fields.

Sophomore Luke Read (Ilford, England/Barking Abbey School) scored for the third-straight game with less than minute to play in regulation to force overtime, leading to Cole’s winner.

“I thought we did well in the first half to go up a goal,” said NIU head coach Eric Luzzi. “I was pleased with the way we were playing and the way we were defending what they were trying to do, limiting their chances and creating some of our own.

“We let them back into the game, which was disappointing, and then they went up, but credit goes to our guys for the amount of belief that they continue to have. To score the equalizer in the final minute (of regulation) and then the absolute special moment that Taylor (Cole) had to give us the three points, I couldn’t be more proud of the guys.”

NIU (4-1-0) created the first chance as sophomore Giovanni Garcia (Chicago, Ill./Elk Grove) forced a save from the Marquette goalkeeper in the 10th minute. Freshman Kevin Rodriguez (Pasadena, Texas/Deer Park) found Garcia in the middle of the park with space to turn towards goal and the sophomore’s effort was palmed away by Marquette goalkeeper Luis Barraza low to his left.

A minute later the Huskies had another chance after a giveaway by the Golden Eagles. Senior Bertrand Gaschot (Austin, Texas/Westwood) collected the giveaway and fed freshman Giovanni Pacheco (Pasadena, Texas/Pasadena) who fired low toward the back post and his chance was tipped away for a corner kick.

Marquette (3-2-1) had its first look at goal when Kelmend Islami pounced on a loose ball just outside the box and whistled a shot wide of NIU senior goalkeeper Andrew Glaeser (Walla Walla, Wash./Walla Walla/Oregon State) in the 19th minute.

The Golden Eagles should have opened the scoring in the 31st minute. A cross in from the left went over the head of Glaeser and behind the Huskies defense to Islami on the back side but his shot was cleared off the goal line by Read. Eight minutes later, a one-two in the box from Marquette fell to Louis Bennett eight yards from goal but his shot went wide left as the match remained scoreless in the 39th minute.

The Huskies scored against the run of play in the 40th minute. A cross from freshman Adrian Coardos (Evanston, Ill./Niles North) was taken down well with the first touch by Garcia and his second touch put him in an excellent position to slot home his first career goal as the Huskies took a 1-0 lead.

The Golden Eagles answered as a header by the Huskies wasn’t cleared in the 44th minute. Islami picked up the ball near the top of the box and finished past a diving Glaeser to level the match.

The pace of the game slowed in the early stages of the second half as Marquette retained a bit more of the possession but neither team was able to produce much in the way of scoring chances.

In the 78th minute, Marquette created a chance as Alex McBride found himself alone at the top of the box, but his shot went harmlessly high.

Marquette broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute as a cross from Jake Taylor on the left side found David Selvaggi who stepped across his defender and finished back across goal to give the Golden Eagles a 2-1 lead.

In the final moments of regulation with NIU chasing the game, junior Richard Hall (Billericay, England/The BIllericay School) whipped a cross into a dangerous position inside the six-yard box. Freshman Nixon Urrutia (Houston, Texas/Dobie) headed the ball back across goal and, following a scramble in the box, it was Read who was able to make contact and poke it home for the tying goal with just 55 seconds to play.

Neither team threatened goal in the first overtime period before Cole won the game for the Huskies less than two minutes into the second overtime. Junior Cody Witkowski (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) played the ball to Cole near the top of the box, Cole flicked it over the top of a Marquette defender and fired back across goal into the net, sending the Huskies into a wild celebration.

Including tonight’s two goals, the Huskies have now scored five times in the 82nd minute or later this season.

NIU will return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 22 when the Huskies travel to face another Big East foe when they visit top-ranked Creighton. Game time in Omaha is scheduled for 7 p.m.