Going up against the number one team in the Big Ten, the NIU men’s soccer team came out on top, extending its winning streak by one more game.

With a final score of 1-0 over the Badgers, the Huskies put an end to Wisconsin’s three-game winning streak.

NIU (9-6-1, 3-2-0 MAC) had nine shots on goal in the first half, while Wisconsin (6-7-2, 3-3 Big Ten) was held to just three.

During the end of the first half, things on the field got pretty rough. NIU’s Josh Karsten received a cut to his head after going for a head ball and colliding with an opposing player.

“I guess there was something to be said that Josh got his head split open, went out for two minutes and went back in,” said NIU head coach Eric Luzzi. “That’s kind of the toughness we’ve been accustomed to out of Josh.”

Things didn’t get any less physical after that. As the first half came to a close, the intensity level increased.

“The teams battled hard,” Luzzi said. “The refs let a lot of stuff go, so both teams were just playing very physical and very hard.”

The second half began with a good goal attempt made by Ben Thomas, successfully stopped by Wisconsin goal keeper Alex Horwath.

“The last 20 minutes of the game was probably as close to the intensity of like a playoff game as anything we’ve seen,” Luzzi said. “It got kind of wide open. Both teams were attacking and it was just a really physical battle.”

The first and only goal of the night was scored by NIU’s Juan Hoyos. This marked his third goal of the season.

In the final minutes of the game that ensued after Hoyos’ goal, the Badgers kept up their intensity in hopes of evening out the score. However, the Huskies kept them at zero until the end of the game.

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