MILWAUKEE – A late goal by Northern Illinois forced a tie in the season opener against the Milwaukee men's soccer team, helping the visitors escape with the draw after a strong effort by the home side Thursday evening at Engelmann Stadium.
 
"We played well enough to win the game," head coach Kris Kelderman said. "I didn't think it was the greatest performance from our group, but it's the first game of the season and we're still undefeated on our field dating back to last year."
 
The Panthers (0-0-1) did retain possession of the LeWang Cup with the draw against the Huskies (0-0-1), while also extending their unbeaten streak at home to 10 consecutive games (6-0-4) dating back to the 2024 campaign.
 
Daiki Kumakawa played a big role for the MKE offense, coming through with the first goal while assisting the second.
 
But, NIU found the back of the net with a late rush, sneaking the standings point with just 99 seconds remaining in the contest.
 
"We put ourselves in position to win that game," Kelderman said. "We have to close that out at the end. You know, a minute and 20 seconds left, and we just have to be smarter about things and get out of there with a win. From that perspective, it's disappointing – they guys are disappointed, and they should be. We felt like we let a win get away from us."
 
Back-and-forth at the start when the teams were getting a feel for the new campaign, the Panther struck first. Bienvenu Djunga created the scoring opportunity, streaking into the box before getting fouled to force the penalty kick.
 
Kumakawa calmy took the spot kick, putting his team ahead at the 15:47 mark. The game would go to halftime with the same 1-0 scoreline.
 
Djunga nearly made it 2-0 in the 29^th minute, sending a rocket through traffic but a quality save was made.
 
Newcomer Nic Diana played strong down the half in goal, making a pair of saves over the final nine-plus minutes to keep the one-goal lead into the break.
 
The Huskies then found the equalizer early in the second, seeing a fortunate bounce end up in the back of the net when Diana sprinted off his line to thwart a breakaway chance. Dasha Curiel's shot was originally stopped by Diana, but it ricocheted right back off Curiel and bounded 30+ yards into the open net.
 
The Panthers kept up the pressure and found the opportunity they needed in the 71^st minute, seeing Dominic Zuñiga finish a pair of passes from Alejandro Zuniga and Kumakawa to put MKE back on top, 2-1.
 
"There was some good buildup in the second half," Kelderman said. "We got better and created some chances. If we bury one of those it's a whole different situation."
 
As the game wound down, NIU took advantage of its lone late quality chance, converting at the 88:21 mark to pull off the unexpected tie.
 
Diana finished with four saves, including a stunning stop of a shot through the wall on a corner kick just 53 seconds into the second period.
 
The Panthers ended the contest with a 17-16 shot advantage, as well as the 9-6 advantage in shots on goal and 5-4 in corner kicks. Kumakawa's three points (1G/1A) paced the offense, while Oliver Weir contributed a team-best five shot attempts. Atahan Arslan made seven saves for NIU to keep his team alive.
 
Up next, the Panthers take to the road for their next two contests, traveling first to St. Charles, Mo., for a matchup with Lindenwood Tuesday, followed by a Thursday affair at Bradley in Peoria, Ill.