DeKALB, Ill. - Matt Eliason (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) posted his ninth goal of the season and the 21st-ranked Northwestern men's soccer team notched its third straight shutout as the Wildcats earned a 1-0 win at Northern Illinois Wednesday afternoon. It is the third consecutive match NU has won by a 1-0 margin.

The victory raises NU's unbeaten streak to eight straight as it goes to 6-1-3 overall this season. The Huskies saw their record fall to 5-5-1.

If Eliason had his way, he might petition to play all of Northwestern's games in DeKalb. Earlier this season at the adidas/NIU Invitational, he scored four goals en route to leading the Wildcats to wins over Oakland and Tulsa and was named Top Drawer Soccer's National Player of the Week in the process.

He was up to his old tricks in the first minute of the second half. Following a scoreless opening stanza, the Wildcats earned a free kick following an NIU foul. Similar to the Sept. 27 victory over SIU Edwardsville, Mark Blades (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius) was responsible for assisting on the game-winning tally. His free kick found the head of Eliason who beat NIU keeper Jordan Godsey at the 45:46 mark.

After struggling to keep opponents off the board early in the season, the Wildcats appear to have found their groove defensively. Thanks in large part to the return of senior goalkeeper Misha Rosenthal (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) from injury, Northwestern was able to keep the hosts off the scoreboard for the remainder of the match.

The reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week posted his second straight shutout, making six saves to raise his school career-record total to 26. Five of the stops came in the second half after the Wildcats had taken the lead.

Northern Illinois finished with a 15-11 advantage in shots, though the Wildcats had a 6-3 edge in corner kicks.

NU returns to Big Ten play Sunday as it travels to Penn State. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.