DEKALB, Ill. – Goals from senior Jan Maertins (Rheinfelden, Germany/Marquette) and sophomore Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) three minutes apart in the first half helped lift the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Bradley on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 15) at the NIU Soccer Complex.

"We have been playing well, with the exception of Friday night, and the thought was that the win was coming, we were playing well. But I think we showed today that you actually have to dig in, you are not going to just get wins because you play well," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "I was happy with the way the guys, after we gave up a disappointing goal, gritted in and managed the game pretty well. I thought the first 45 (minutes) was excellent, and it was great to get that first win."

Chances were few and far between for both sides in the opening half-hour as the Huskies and Braves were deadlocked entering the final 15 minutes of the opening half.

It was the Huskies who would find the breakthrough in the 32nd minute as Maertins opened the scoring. Junior Alex Welch (Carmarthen, Wales/King's College Madrid) began the attack down the left side for the Huskies as he found Nick Markanich moving his way into the box. Nick Markanich cut the ball back from near the end line to a streaking Maertins who powered a shot past Bradley goalkeeper Nathan Wisbey to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

The goal helped to spring the NIU attack to life as, just a minute later, it was Maertins playing provider, finding senior Christian Molina (Katy, Texas/Mayde Creek) in the box for a shot that was well held by Wisbey.

Nick Markanich then doubled the Huskie lead in the 34th minute with his second goal in as many games. Sophomore Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) found his twin brother, Nick, in space inside the box and Nick Markanich made no mistake, slipping a shot past Wisbey to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead that they would take into the intermission.

After the break, it was the Huskies that started the brighter of the two side, controlling possession and threatening to add a third. Wisbey made a stop on a shot by Nick Markanich in the 52nd minute as NIU piled on the pressure but was unable to get a third goal.

Bradley's first chance of the second half fell to Devin Slingsby in the 58th minute as he created just enough space for himself on the edge of the box to fire a shot that went just wide of the near post.

Five minutes later the Braves cut the NIU lead in half on a goal by David Schulte Sudhoff. Off a Bradley throw-in in the attacking third, the Huskie defense was able to half-clear the ball toward the top of the box where Sudhoff was waiting to strike it on the volley, past NIU redshirt freshman goalkeeper Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) to trim the NIU lead to 2-1.

In the 73rd minute, NIU was back on the front-foot as Anthony Markanich fired a shot from 20 yards that went just wide.

Bradley looked for an equalizer in the final quarter-hour but the Huskies held the Braves without a shot in the game's final minutes as NIU earned the 2-1 victory.

Sanchez, who was making his first collegiate start, picked up his first career victory. Wisbey made four saves in goal for the Braves.

NIU will return to action next Friday night, September 20, when the Huskies travel to Purdue Fort Wayne, kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.