EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- SIU Edwardsville scored in the 106th minute as the Cougars topped the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team, 3-2, in double overtime on Saturday night in the Mid-American Conference opener. The Huskies led 2-0 in the first 35 minutes of the match before the Cougars scored the next three as Kelby Phillips netted the game-winner.  

"I thought we played pretty well for large chunks of the game," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "But some of our decision making in the defensive third was not great and it led to conceding three goals. Very frustrating to feel that we gifted SIUE some of those goals but, when we sit back and look at it, there was a lot of positives to take out of the game. We just have to make sure that we focus on those, clean up our mistakes and get ready for Bowling Green."

NIU (7-4, 0-1 MAC) had the first look at goal in the seventh minute as freshman Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) fired a shot from outside the box that went just wide left. A minute later, another attempt from outside the area found the back of the net as a rocket from sophomore Alex Welch (Carmarthen, Wales/King's College Madrid) gave the Huskies an early lead. 

The goal was the third of the season for Welch, the sixth of his NIU career. 

In the 25th minute, the Huskies had an excellent chance for a second as senior Max Voss (Herten, Germany/Staedtisches Gymnasium Herten) whipped in a corner to the top of the six-yard box where freshman Pierce Ugarte (Oak Lawn, Ill./Oak Lawn) rose highest and forced a great reaction save from SIUE goalkeeper Noah Heim who tipped Ugarte's header over the bar. 

SIU Edwardsville (8-1-2, 1-0 MAC) had its first chance in the 29th minute as a foul just outside the top of the box gave the Cougars a chance, but Greg Solawa whistled the free kick well high of goal. Lachlan McLean created an opportunity for SIUE a minute later, cutting inside from the right, but he also sent his shot harmlessly high. 

Nick Markanich scored his fifth goal of the year in the 33rd minute as the Huskies doubled their advantage. Senior Kevin Rodriguez (Pasadena, Texas/Deer Park) had the ball in the box and, as he was knocked off stride, just touched it on to Markanich who was about eight yards from goal and the Huskie freshman coolly finished past Heim to give NIU a 2-0 lead. 

Late in the first half, McLean scored to cut the NIU lead in half. A cross from the right side found the head of McLean, NIU junior goalkeeper Konrad Dziedzic (Schiller Park, Ill./West Virginia) made an excellent save on the header but the rebound fell kindly right back to the feet of McLean who made no mistake with his second attempt to trim the Huskie lead to 2-1 in the 40th minute. 

As a steady rain began to fall, the first look at goal in the second 45 minutes came to the Huskies as a NIU corner kick was half-cleared as far as Welch but his shot from 30 yards was high in the 49th minute. 

SIUE levelled the match in the 53rd minute as McLean scored his second of the night. After a turnover in NIU's defensive third, McLean picked the ball up and dribbled toward the top of the box where his shot might have taken a slight deflection and beat Dziedzic to pull the Cougars even. 

The Huskies thought they went back in front in the 76th minute as freshman Louis Sala (West Bloomfield, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's) played a ball to junior Irvin Dominguez (El Paso, Texas/Richland College) and the shot from Dominguez hit the post. Sala pounced on the rebound and finished into the open goal but the flag was up for offside.

NIU had a pair of chances from corners late in regulation, but freshman Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) and Rodriguez were both unable to get their shots on target as the game went to overtime. 

After little in the way of chances in the first overtime period, NIU had a chance off a header from freshman Jaden Stevenson (Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Sturgeon Bay) in the first minute of the second overtime, but the header went just wide. 

In the 106th minute, SIU Edwardsville got the winner as Kelby Phillips gave the Cougars the golden goal victory. Good combination play on the left side of the box led to a cross from Keegan McHugh near the end line and he found Phillips in space at the top of the six and Phillips fired home the winner for SIUE. 

Dziedzic made three saves in the match for NIU, Heim had a pair for SIUE. 

The Huskies will return home next Saturday, Oct. 13, as NIU hosts Bowling Green on Homecoming in DeKalb. Game time against the Falcons is scheduled for 7 p.m.