DeKALB- NIU men’s soccer is coming off of a tough 2-1 loss to Northwestern University this past Friday. The Huskies lacked offensive opportunities against a much bigger and stronger Northwestern team. Here are a few things to look out for heading into this upcoming week of games. 

ESTRADA LEADING THE WAY

Senior midfielder Camilio Estrada is a player to look out for. Estrada has not only scored three goals in the past two games, but has emerged into a leader on the team. 

With senior defenseman Harry Jolley out of the lineup, Estrada took this opportunity to step up as a leader and receive the armband for team captain.

“We’re missing a big piece in our backline. Harry, who we all know as a leader.” Estrada said. “We needed somebody to step up and I was fortunate enough to get the armband passed over and be the leader on the field.”

OFFENSIVE OPPORTUNITIES

Something that the Huskies have struggled with the past few weeks is creating offensive opportunities. The Huskies only accounted for eight shots with three shots on goal against Northwestern. The Wildcats overran the Huskies with 20 shots in total which lead to the 2-1 win.

The Huskies will need to find more ways to grasp scoring opportunities if they want to beat higher rated opponents, but Estrada is hopeful.

“As the season goes, we find better opportunities.” Estrada said. “I just feel like we need to play through our game and we can create some beautiful opportunities.”

ROJEK KEEPING HUSKIES ALIVE

With offensive opportunities being a struggle for the Huskies, senior goalkeeper Jakub Rojek has played exceptionally in front of the net.

Rojek has accounted for 19 saves in the past three games, including six huge saves against a bigger and stronger Northwestern team. 

Rojek coming in and accounting for multiple saves a game will help the Huskies stay within striking distance and lead to more wins.