DEKALB, Ill. – Chris Sullivan scored the lone goal in the 70th minute to give Bowling Green a 1-0 victory over the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team on Sunday afternoon (March 21) at the NIU Soccer Complex. 

Gusty winds created a game of two halves as Bowling Green (5-3-0, 3-1-0 MAC) outshot NIU, 7-1, in the first half while playing with the wind before the Huskies held a 12-3 advantage in shots in the second 45 minutes with the advantage of the wind. 

In the 13th minute, Jensen Lukacsko took a shot from distance that NIU sophomore goalkeeper Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) couldn't cleanly hold onto, deflecting it off the post before grabbing the ball at the second attempt. 

The Falcons continued to have more chances in the opening 45 minutes but the Huskies had a pair of opportunities to open the scoring just before the intermission. 

Three minutes before the break, a low cross from junior Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) was just beyond the outstretched led of twin brother Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) in front of an open goal.

In the final minute of the first half, freshman Diego Maynez (El Paso, Texas) took the ball off Bowling Green goalkeeper Logan Kowalczyk and found space for a shot that was cleared off the goal line by a Falcon defender, saving a goal.

Maynez had another good chance less than 10 minutes after the interval but his shot that was heading for the upper corner was saved by Kowalczyk.

In the 68th minute, junior Roque Viegas Jr. (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Syracuse) had a chance from just outside the top of the box that whistled high over the Bowling Green goal. 

Two minutes later, the Falcons went in front through Sullivan. Vinny Worner had the ball on the edge of the NIU box and turned back to find Sullivan streaking toward the top of the box. Sullivan collected the ball and unleashed a shot that tailed away from a diving Sanchez and tucked inside the far post to give Bowling Green a 1-0 lead. 

NIU's (3-4-1, 2-2-0 MAC) best chance to answer came in the 76th minute as Anthony Markanich had a chance that was heading toward the upper corner but Kowalczyk was able to get a piece of it to make the save and preserve the clean sheet for the Falcons. 

Kowalczyk finished with three saves for Bowling Green, Sanchez also recorded three stops for NIU. 

The Huskies will return to action next Sunday, March 28, when they travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to meet Western Michigan. Kickoff against the Broncos is scheduled for 12 p.m.