DEKALB, Ill. – Junior midfielder Ben Ovetsky scored in the 29th minute, leading undefeated Binghamton (3-0-2) to a 1-0 win at Northern Illinois (0-3-2) in the opening round of the Northern Illinois/adidas Invitational on Friday night. With the victory, the Bearcats are unbeaten through their opening five matches for the first time since 2007.
 
Ovetsky's goal was the first of his collegiate career. He fired a curling shot from 20 yards out, giving the Bearcats a lead they would not relinquish. His goal was unassisted.
 
"I am really proud of our guys tonight," head coach Paul Marco said. "Everyone was up for the match and Ben had a first class goal. We defended great and had great competitive spirit."
 
In a balanced game, Northern Illinois led in the overall shot count 12-9. Binghamton, however, had the advantage in shots on goal, 5-2.
 
Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Alejandro Cubillo made a pair of saves to record his second straight solo shutout and his third of the season. He was aided by the starting backline of senior Zach Galluzzo, redshirt junior Charlie Novoth, sophomore Kevin Flesch and redshirt freshman Stephen McKenna.
 
At the other end of the field, Drew Donally made five saves to keep the Huskies in the game.
 
Despite having entered the match without a victory, Northern Illinois tied America East opponent UMBC 1-1 on the road last weekend.
 
"Northern Illinois is a good team," Marco said. "Not only did they tie UMBC but they played Navy tough last week. We knew they would be up for the home game and for us to travel out here after a match on Monday and come away with the win is great."
 
Binghamton last's five-game unbeaten streak to start the year was nine years ago, when it won each game by a 1-0 margin. During its current streak, the Bearcats have outscored their opponents 7-3 and have shut out three of their last four opponents.
 
Up next for the Bearcats is Loyola-Chicago on Sunday at noon in the final round of the Northern Illinois/adidas Invitational. The Ramblers are a perfect 4-0-0, having defeated No. 12 Utah Valley in the other first-round match.
 
"That is going to be a very good match for us," Marco said. "Loyola-Chicago won against a very good Utah Valley team and beat Albany 3-0 last week. It is going to be pretty big test for us."