DEKALB, Ill. -- Eddie Knight (Frisco, Texas/Lone Star) recorded NIU's first hat trick since 2021 as the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team topped Aurora, 7-2, on Monday night (Sept. 4) at the NIU Soccer Complex. Knight scored three, Camilo Estrada (Dallas, Texas/Lone Star) added a pair of goals while Taisei Arima (Machida, Japan/Seiryo) and Taylor Davis (Wichita Falls, Texas/Wichita Falls) also tallied in the five-goal victory. 

"It was good to score a few goals, we had a couple of nice goals," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "There was that period at the end of the first half, start of the second, where we kind of lost our way a little bit. We gave up a couple of goals that we were disappointed with. Camilo Estrada was exceptional today. When we took him off it showed, we were missing a little bit of composure and leadership. When he went back in, we really settled back into the game."

Arima opened the scoring in the eighth minute with his first goal of the season. Kevin Kelly (Dublin, Ireland/St. Joseph Rush) played a ball into the run of Zachariah Thomas (Burnaby, British Columbia/Moscrop Secondary) just inside the box. The ball was tackled away from Thomas but right to Arima who fired a shot from the top of the 18 off the crossbar. The rebound came right back to Arima, and he put it in the top corner from 12 yards out to give the Huskies the lead. 

Knight fired home his first goal of the evening in the 21st minute to double the Huskie advantage. The Frisco, Texas, native pounced on a loose touch from an Aurora defender, raced past a second defender and tucked a shot low into the corner past Jalen Depenbrock from about 15 yards. 

Four minutes later, Knight added his second, giving the Huskies a 3-0 lead. Arima split the Spartans defense open with a pass into the run of Knight who hit a first time shot beyond Depenbrock at the near post from about 10 yards out. 

Aurora pulled a goal back in the 36th minute. Anthony Marmolejo worked his way into the box and was nearly dispossessed, but the ball fell kindly back to his feet for a shot. NIU goalkeeper Atahan Arslan (Ismir, Turkey) parried the shot away, but only as far as Ben Gamino who put the rebound into an open net. 

After halftime, the Spartans cut the NIU advantage to just a goal as a mistake at the back by the Huskies led to a goal from Brandon Dolezal in the 53rd minute. 

NIU doubled the lead as Estrada scored his first of the night in the 72nd minute. Sam Divis (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville) played the ball wide to Parker Jeppson (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest) and his low cross found Estrada just inside the penalty spot and he swept it low into the corner past a diving Antonio Herrera in goal for Aurora. 

Just over a minute later, NIU added a fifth as Knight completed his hat trick. Divis collected the ball on the edge of the box and drove to the end line before firing a cross inside the six-yard box that was prodded home by Knight from close range for his third of the night. 

"He took all three goals really well," Swan said of Knight. "In particular the second goal, a great pass from Taisei (Arima) and Eddie made the run that we have been asking of him. He was a difference maker, when he came off the field we weren't as dangerous and when he came back on, I was delighted for him to get that third goal. He is such a threat in behind, it paid off tonight."

Knight's hat trick is the first by a Huskie since Nick Markanich scored three goals against Western Illinois on Sept. 18, 2021.

Estrada scored his second goal of the contest in the 84th minute. A corner kick from Angel Rodriguez (Elgin, Ill./Ignite Christian Academy) popped out of the hands of Herrera and fell to the feet of Estrada at the back post where he finished to give the Huskies a 6-2 lead. 

Davis closed the scoring five minutes later. Miguel Garcia Jr. (Gurnee, Ill./Warren) worked his way down the left wing before sending a cross toward the top of the six-yard box where Davis was all alone to volley it past Herrera to finish the scoring. 

NIU's seven goals in the contest is the most for the program since downing Chicago State, 10-0, on Feb. 26, 2021. 

The Huskies will return to action on Friday night, Sept. 8, when they travel to Evanston to face Northwestern. Kickoff against the Wildcats is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be available online via Big Ten Network Plus.