Northwestern held a 1-0 nearly the entire game, until senior defender Mike Picinich nailed a shot from 25 yards out to tie the game in the 77th minute.

Senior midfielder Graham Lynch was able to set up Picinich for the clutch, game-tying goal.

Eastern’s men’s soccer team was not about to let the dramatic momentum swing end there. Freshman forward Will Butler made his Panther debut a memorable one, connecting on the winning goal in overtime. He was tapped the ball in past the goalkeeper after a mishandled save attempt for his first career goal.

The win marked the first time the Panthers won a season opening game since 2007. It also gives Eastern a 5-4-5 advantage over the Wildcats in the overall series.

Head coach Adam Howarth said, in a press release, the first half was an adjustment period for the younger players, but in the second half the team came together.

Northwestern outshot the Panthers in the first half 4-2; however, the Panthers were able to grab control of the ball outshooting the Wildcats 7-2 the rest of the game.

“It is important to keep the ball well and we must do this when we are under pressure,” Howarth said.

Sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Kelley was taken out after the first half. He made one save and allowed the one goal to forward Oliver Kupe. Kupe led Northwestern in scoring last season with 10 goals.

Kelley was later replaced by junior Evan Turner. Turner made two saves in 48:29 minutes of action.

Last season, the Panthers scored two goals in a single game twice all season. With 16 more games to play this season, Eastern seems to be on pace to score much more than the nine goals last year.

The team return to action Thursday at Bradley for a non-conference game.

Rob Mortell can be reached at 581-7944 or at [email protected].