DEKALB, Ill. – Two goals in the final 20 minutes of regulation from freshman Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) helped the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team earn a 2-2 draw against Drake on Tuesday night at the NIU Soccer Complex. 

"We gave up a really disappointing goal in the first half and it was (Drake's) only shot on goal in the half, so that was very frustrating," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "But the response was good in the second half, I thought we dominated play. We gave up another frustrating goal, but the response, again, the guys never stopped working and, to be honest, in the end we could have won it.

"A couple of nice goals from Nick (Markanich), some good looks on goal, 29 shots, 16 of them on goal. We asked the guys to get back to how we were playing earlier in the year and there were signs of that."

Already leading 1-0, Drake (6-4-2) doubled its advantage in the 70th minute as Leroy Enzugusi stabbed home his seventh goal of the season. Off a Drake corner by Cole Poppen, the initial shot came from Paul Ciszewski but Enzugusi deflected it inside the six-yard box to give the Bulldogs a two-goal lead. 

Four minutes later, NIU (7-5-1) cut the Drake advantage back to just one. Freshman Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) played a ball to his twin brother, Nick, on the left side just outside the box and Nick Markanich caught Drake goalkeeper Jared Brown off his line, chipping him to score his sixth of the season in the 74th minute.

A little more than two minutes later, Nick Markanich netted his seventh goal of the season to bring the Huskies level. Off a corner kick from freshman Louis Sala (West Bloomfield, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's), the initial shot by Anthony Markanich came back off the post and Nick Markanich was the first to react, finishing from inside the six-yard box to level the match. 

In the final 10 minutes of regulation, junior Jan Maertins (Rheinfelden, Germany/Marquette) and Enzugusi each had a chance that went just wide as the contest went into overtime.

The only two chances of the first extra session came late as a header from Anthony Markanich forced a save by Brown in the 98th minute and, off the ensuing corner, Maertins had a shot stopped from close range by the Drake goalkeeper. 

In the opening moments of the second overtime, Drake's Ryan Johnston had a shot that forced a save from NIU goalkeeper Konrad Dziedzic (Schiller Park, Ill./West Virginia). NIU had a couple of looks at goal as the final period continued but a shot from senior Kevin Rodriguez (Pasadena, Texas/Deer Park) and a header from Anthony Markanich both went high as the Huskies and Bulldogs had to settle for a 2-2 draw. 

Drake opened the scoring in the ninth minute of the match as Ciszewski flicked on a ball from the goalkeeper Brown into the run of Antonio Sanchez who got behind the NIU defense and calmly finished to give the Bulldogs an early lead, an advantage they would take into the interval.

The Huskies maintained the majority of the possession early in the second half, recording six shots before the hour-mark, including a great chance from Nick Markanich in the 51st minute that forced an excellent save from Brown.

In the 66th minute, a mistake at the back helped allow Enzugusi in on goal but senior defender Nixon Urrutia (Houston, Texas/Dobie) recovered to make a goal line clearance. Three minutes later, Brown made an outstanding reaction save on a header from Anthony Markanich inside the six-yard box off a corner from Sala, one of 13 saves on the night for the Drake goalkeeper. 

NIU will conclude its current three-game homestand on Saturday night, October 20, as the Huskies host Akron. Game time against the Zips is slated for 7 p.m.