BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Achille Robin converted a 99th minute penalty to lift Bowling Green to a 2-1, overtime win over the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team on Sunday afternoon (April 18) at Cochrane Stadium. With the win, Bowling Green clinched the Mid-American Conference championship. 

"I'm proud of the way the guys played, they left everything out on the field," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "After conceding, we found a way back into the game and had a couple of really good chances to win the game but didn't capitalize on the things that we created. In overtime, it came down to that penalty kick that (Bowling Green) capitalized on. 

"Give credit to Bowling Green, they came out and battled hard. When you put work rate in like that, sometimes you get the calls."

NIU sophomore goalkeeper Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) was called into action in the sixth minute to make the first save of the game, stopping a chance from Zach Buescher to keep the match level in the early going.  

Bowling Green (7-4-1, 5-2-1 MAC) had another opportunity in the 16th minute, after a pair of shots were blocked, Joey Akpunonu fired a shot just over the crossbar. 

The Falcons opened the scoring four minutes later through Chris Sullivan. Kale Nichols flicked a ball on to Sullivan near the corner of the six-yard box and Sullivan cut inside a Huskie defender before firing a shot low into the corner from close range to give Bowling Green a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute, an advantage the Falcons would take into the interval. 

NIU needed less than two minutes after the break to pull level. Sophomore Enrique Banuelos (Mexico City, Mexico/Virginia) crossed the ball to an unmarked Irvin Dominguez (El Paso, Texas/Richland College) near the penalty spot and the senior volleyed home an equalizer, past the outstretched Bowling Green goalkeeper Logan Kowalczyk, as the Huskies tied the contest, 1-1, in the 47th minute.

Bowling Green had an excellent chance to go back in front in the 55th minute as a long ball from Kowalczyk brought Sanchez well off his line. The NIU goalkeeper was unable to collect the initial ball but made a save on an attempt by Robin and the Huskie defense would eventually scramble the ball to safety. 

Junior Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) had an excellent chance to put the Huskies in front in the 67th minute. Banuelos flicked a header into the path of Markanich who was one-on-one with Kowalczyk, but the Falcon goalkeeper made the save to keep the contest level. 

Junior Miguel Maynez Jr. (El Paso, Texas/New Mexico) had the last chance inside the 90 minutes to win it, but his shot from the edge of the box was straight at Kowalczyk as the Huskies and Falcons went to overtime. 

The first chance of the extra session fell to freshman Diego Maynez (El Paso, Texas) as Dominguez clipped a ball into the box to Diego Maynez whose shot in the 92nd minute was smothered by Kowalczyk. 

With less than two minutes to play in the first overtime, NIU was whistled for a foul just inside the box, giving Bowling Green a penalty. Robin stepped up to take the penalty and sent Sanchez the wrong way, slotting the goal into the corner of the net, giving the Falcons the victory and the conference championship. 

NIU ends the season with a 5-8-1 overall record, 4-6-0 in the MAC, and following the unusual circumstances of a spring regular season, the Huskies will begin to turn their attention toward a traditional fall campaign that is just four months away. 

"First and foremost, we are so thankful that we got to play this spring," said Swan. "Our athletic training staff and medical staff, the work that they did, we are so appreciative to have gotten this season in. It was very unusual, us, and many others, lost key players at key moments of the season, but that is always part of college athletics. We were thankful to get this season in and now we have to regroup and get excited for a traditional season in the fall, which is coming quickly."