MILWAUKEE – Northern Illinois erupted for four goals in the second half in claiming a 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee men's soccer team Tuesday night at Engelmann Stadium.
 
The Panthers (2-2) and Huskies (5-1) were scoreless at halftime, with NIU breaking through for its first goal just after intermission and then adding on from there to retain possession of the LeWang Cup.
 
Milwaukee had a tough time maintaining offensive flow over the first 45 minutes, but battled hard defensively to keep it 0-0 at the break. The defense stood tall, allowing nine shots, but not a single one on goal. MKE recorded a pair of first-half shots of its won, with Josh Kidder the only player to put a shot on goal through the opening 45 minutes for either team.
 
NIU kept up the pressure and used a stretch of three consecutive corner kicks to record its first goal, with Miguel Maynez finding the back of the net directly from his own well-placed corner kick attempt at the 47:52 mark.
 
The Panthers then did take over momentum over the next 20 minutes, outshooting the visitors, 4-to-2, in that span, with Logan Farrington, Kidder, Gabe Anguil, and Adi Vaknin all recording shot attempts while looking for the equalizer.
 
The second goal then came against the run of play, with a ball played over the back line of the defense creating a one-on-one chance for Nick Markanich, who was able to convert for his NCAA-leading sixth goal of the season at the 70:38 mark.
 
The Huskies would then tack on in the 76^th and 83^rd minutes to take the Cup back home. NIU claimed advantages of 19-to-6 in shots, 6-to-2 in shots on goal and corner kicks, as well as 60 percent of possession.
 
Milwaukee will turn its attention back to Horizon League play on the weekend, heading to battle Robert Morris Saturday. Game time against the Colonials is set for 1 p.m. CST.