DEKALB, Ill. – Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) scored three goals in the opening 39 minutes as the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team defeated Western Illinois, 6-0, on Saturday night (Sept. 18) at the NIU Soccer Complex. 

Roland Dearborn (Bethpage, N.Y./Dundee Crown), Kevin Galiano (Lynden, Wash./Meridian) and Diego Maynez (El Paso, Texas/Lone Star) each added second half tallies as the Huskies earned their fifth consecutive victory. 

"I spoke with the leadership group within the team earlier today," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "It is difficult to keep a squad happy when guys aren't playing, obviously when we are winning it makes it a little bit easier, but one of the things they said was everyone is excited to be on the training field. 

"Everyone is excited for when their opportunity arrives, and you saw that tonight. We kept the standard high and three guys, Kevin Galiano, Roland Dearborn and Diego Maynez, took their chances very well. Hunger is driving us at the moment, everyone is hungry to be on the field and everyone is hungry to be contributing to the exciting things we have going on right now."

NIU (6-1-0) nearly opened the scoring in the fourth minute as Pepe Martinez (Sant antoni de vilamajor, Spain/Western Michigan) forced a turnover and chipped the ball over Western Illinois goalkeeper Alex Flowers, but his attempt was cleared before going by a Leatherneck defender before it could cross the line.

The Huskies took the lead in the 12th minute on Nick Markanich's first goal of the night. Martinez had the ball on the right wing and sent a cross toward the six-yard box where Nick Markanich volleyed it past Flowers to give NIU the early lead. 

Nick Markanich got his second in the 36th minute to double NIU's advantage. Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) played a ball from midfield through the Western Illinois defense and into the feet of his twin brother just outside the top of the box. Nick Markanich took a couple of touches before firing a shot high into the net past Flowers as the Huskies went in front, 2-0. 

Three minutes later, Nick Markanich finished his hat trick from the penalty spot. The senior forward was taken down in the box and calmly stepped forward to convert the penalty himself for his nation-leading ninth goal of the season. 

"He looked sharp in front of goal and obviously he was hungry to step up and take the penalty kick," Swan said of Nick Markanich. "That sharpness in the box, and confidence, strikers thrive on it, and he is in phenomenal form right now."

The hat trick for Markanich was the first by a Huskie since Bernhard Hagevik scored three goals in a 6-5 loss against Marshall on Oct. 25, 2002. Nick Markanich has scored in five consecutive matches and moved into seventh in program history with 69 career points (32 goals, five assists) passing Dan Parisi (1997-2000, 64 points). 

"It was a great feeling," Nick Markanich said of his hat trick. "I always talk to Coach Swan when I have two goals, asking him to leave me in so that I can get one more, it happened tonight, and I am excited to get my first career hat trick and to keep scoring goals."

Dearborn netted his first career goal in the 75th minute to give the Huskies a fourth. A cross from Miguel Maynez Jr. (El Paso, Texas/New Mexico) came through the box to Dearborn just outside the six on the opposite side. Dearborn gathered the ball, created space for himself around a defender and fired into the side-netting inside the back post to give NIU a 4-0 advantage. 

Ten minutes later, Galiano scored his first goal of the season. Miguel Maynez Jr. was involved again as he beat a pair of Western Illinois defenders before firing a low cross toward the top of the six-yard box where Galiano finished with his first touch for the fifth goal of the night for the Huskies.  

NIU closed the scoring in the 88th minute when a deflected ball fell to the feet of Diego Maynez near the penalty spot, and he swept a low shot past Flowers for his second goal of the season and the final 6-0 margin.  

Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) and Parker Smith (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South) combined on the shutout, NIU's third straight, as the Huskies have now gone 321:33 without conceding a goal. 

NIU will return to action on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 21, when the Huskies take on Chicago State at 2 p.m. in Bridgeview, Ill., on an auxiliary field at SeatGeek Stadium.