KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Junior Jan Maertins (Rheinfelden, Germany/Marquette) scored first but Western Michigan stormed back with three first half goals as the Broncos eliminated the Huskies from the Mid-American Conference Tournament, 3-1, on Tuesday afternoon in the quarterfinals at the WMU Soccer Complex. 

"We got off to a bright start, scored a nice goal and seemed to be on track," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "But ultimately giving up three goals from set pieces, it is very disappointed to keep conceding goals that way. When (Adrian) Corona got sent off that didn't help matters, it made a tough task even more difficult. 

"I thought in the second half we did well, we battled and I was proud of the effort. We had put ourselves in a difficult position and against a good team it is always going to be challenging to make that up."

NIU opened the scoring just before the quarter-hour mark as Maertins netted his seventh goal of the season, and his third in the last two games. A cross in from the right from senior Kevin Rodriguez (Pasadena, Texas/Deer Park) came off freshman Louis Sala (West Bloomfield, Mich./Orchard Lake St. Mary's) and eventually fell to Maertins who smashed home an opening goal from close range to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute.

Western Michigan (10-5-3) levelled the match six minutes later as Cameron Sipple converted from the penalty spot. 

The Broncos went in front on the half-hour mark as Caden Jackman gave Western Michigan a 2-1 lead. A Huskie foul just about 10 yards inside their own half gave Western Michigan a free kick, which Sipple played toward the penalty spot and Jackman rose highest to head past NIU junior goalkeeper Konrad Dziedzic (Schiller Park, Ill./West Virginia) to give the Broncos a 2-1 lead. 

Western Michigan added a third goal in the 33rd minute as Tommy Clark scored directly from a free kick. A NIU foul about 25 yards from goal led to the free kick and Clark stepped up and fired a shot into the upper corner to give the Broncos a two-goal lead. 

The free kick that led to the goal from Clark also brought out a second yellow card against freshman Adrian Corona (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) as the Huskies played nearly the final hour down to 10 men. 

In the 42nd minute, Western Michigan created another opportunity as Clark whistled a shot high over the Huskie goal. Just before the intermission, Maertins had a chance for his second goal but his shot was saved by Lukas Von Lienen. 

NIU's first opportunity after the interval came in the 57th minute as a shot from distance by sophomore Alex Welch (Carmarthen, Wales/King's College Madrid) skipped off the wet turf and just wide of the post. 

On the hour-mark, Western Michigan had a chance to add another goal as a long ball was played in behind the Huskie defense to Jake Rufe who was all alone on goal but dragged his shot wide. 

Dziedzic came up with an excellent save in the 79th minute as a Huskie defender slipped and Anthony Bowie pounced, firing a shot that was turned away by the NIU goalkeeper. The rebound fell to the feet of Mike Melaragni but he fired his effort high. 

With four minutes to play, Sala fired a shot high as the Huskies continued to push numbers forward but the Western Michigan backline was able to stymie the NIU attack as the Broncos advance to the conference tournament semifinals. 

Dziedzic finished the match with a pair of saves for NIU; Von Lienen was credited with one save for the Broncos. 

NIU closes the season with an 8-9-1 overall record, its most wins since the 2011 season. Western Michigan advances to face No. 2 seed Bowling Green on Friday, November 9, in the MAC Semifinals in Morgantown, W. Va. 

"I think we saw improvement from last year and I think we see where improvements need to be made for next year," said Swan. "Now it is on us to get the coaching done and make sure the recruiting is right to close the gap even more."