DeKALB – NIU men’s soccer (2-5) dropped its first conference game of the season in a shutout 3-0 loss to No. 15 Missouri State University (4-0-1). This is the third loss in a row for the Huskies and the third game in the last four of being outshot by their opponents.
The Huskies’ matchup with Missouri State marked their first action in the Missouri Valley Conference. NIU moved to the MVC after the MAC ceased sponsorship of all men’s soccer programs.
The Bears had possession of the ball for the majority of the game with three different players scoring a goal on the night.
“I think you could also see their desire to win the ball back, and it was on a different level than ours,” said NIU men’s soccer head coach Ryan Swan.
BEARS CONTROL FIRST HALF
The Huskies started off the half giving the ball away, allowing the Bears to maintain possession.
“They had possession of the ball, and I thought we gave it away a little too cheaply,” Swan said.
Despite the lack of possession, senior midfielder Camilo Estrada was able to push up field and get a quality shot on goal at the 14:56 minute mark for the Huskies but could not convert. Senior forward Jesus Barea scored a goal on the other side at the 28:21 minute mark for the Bears.
The Huskies only recorded one more shot in the first half and kept the lead to 1-0 to close the first 45 minutes of play.
BEARS PULL AWAY
To start the second half, the Bears started off with strong efforts to control the ball. The Huskies struggled all game to take control and take advantage of opportunities on the opposing side offensively. The Bears outshot the Huskies with 11 shots to their five.
“I just think when we get into dangerous areas, we don’t have enough conviction with our finishing and we’re just not getting the same sort of power,” Swan said.
At the 58:38 mark, Missouri State senior forward Pablo Guillen scored a goal to put the Bears up 2-0.
With just under 10 minutes left in the game, sophomore forward Gijs Hovius scored the third goal for the Bears.
The Huskies drop to 2-5 on the season losing their third straight game.
UP NEXT
The Huskies will travel to Evansville, Indiana, to take on the University of Evansville at 7 p.m. Saturday. The match will take place at Arad McCutchan Stadium in Evansville, Indiana.
Live stats for this match will be provided via StatBroadcast.
