With another month of Huskie sports comes another batch of heroics and heartbreak.

From lengthy losing streaks to game-changing goals, these are the most thrilling and stinging moments from the last month of NIU Athletics.

HIGH: MEN’S SOCCER SNAPS LOSING STREAK

After dropping six-consecutive matches in a row, men’s soccer finally broke its losing streak with a 1-0 win over Belmont University on Oct. 25. The victory was the third of the season for the Huskies, with the others coming on Aug. 25 and Sept. 16.

Freshman midfielder Grant Paskus played hero in the win, scoring his first career goal in the 89th minute. Sophomore goalkeeper Atahan Arslan recorded 5 saves in his second shutout of the season.

LOW: FOOTBALL SINKS CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES

Football carried its trend of disappointment into its 117th Homecoming with a pitiful 13-6 loss to the University of Toledo. Despite recording 391 yards of offense, the Huskies put up their lowest point total with NIU football head coach Thomas Hammock at the helm.

The Huskies followed the Toledo game by snatching defeat from the jaws of victory against Ball State University, losing 25-23. NIU gained the lead with 15 seconds remaining, but the Cardinals set up a game-winning field goal after driving 39 yards in two plays.

The losses put the Huskies in ninth place in the Mid-American Conference with four games to play.

HIGH: MEN’S GOLF ENDS FALL STRONG

After starting the fall season with two last place finishes and a 13th place out of 15, men’s golf flipped a switch in October. The Huskies finished up the Badger Invitational Oct. 1 with a first place finish – their first since winning the MAC Championship in 2023.

The Huskies followed the win with a respectable 6th place finish at the White Sands Collegiate, in which senior Felix Krammer earned his second-straight top-10 finish.

LOW: WOMEN’S GOLF FALLS FLAT AT FALL’S END

Over on the red tees, women’s golf failed to find a groove. On Oct. 1, the Huskies put up their worst round of the Diane Thomason Invitational with 37 over par, dropping them to 11th place in a field of 15 teams.

The following two events drew a pair of last place finishes at the Illini Women’s Invitational at Medinah and the Jim West Challenge.

HIGH: ZIPSE MANIA

Graduate student midfielder Abby Zipse finished October strong with goals in three consecutive matches. Among the Batavia native’s goals was the game-winner in a 2-1 win over Eastern Michigan University, as well as the game-tying goal in a 1-1 tie against the University of Toledo.

Zipse also scored an insurance goal to aid a 3-1 win over Ball State on the same day she became NIU women’s soccer’s all-time leader in games played.

LOW: VOLLEYBALL’S 15-SET LOSING SKID

NIU volleyball has not won a set since the second-frame 3-2 loss to Eastern Michigan on Oct. 17. The Huskies have failed to hit at a rate of .200 in any match during this streak.

The Huskies lone win of the month came on Oct. 10 in a sweep over Kent State University – the MAC’s only team who remains winless in conference play.