A weekend tournament against Evansville at the Quincy College Tournament became an eye-opener for the NIU soccer team.

The Huskies suffered their first loss in the spring exhibition season as perennial national power Evansville University bullied NIU into 4-0 submission.

“The other team (Evansville) just had more composure,” NIU head man Willy Roy said. “But I think playing them was the best thing that has happened to us this spring. It was really an awakening because I have never seen them play before.”

Evansville played hard, aggressive, and intimidating, Roy said. “I think the type of soccer they play borders on a fine line as far as sportsmanship is concerned,” Roy said.

“But, they’re a good team, and there’s a reason why they’re a good team. We’re going to remember this game for a long time and it was good for us to see what we can expect from a top soccer school.”

Despite the lopsided score, Roy said he believes NIU is not far from having the top-level program Evansville has. “I don’t think we’re far behind. I even think we may be better technically, but they were super aggressive and couple of our guys got scared,” Roy said.

The Huskies were outshot for the first time this spring as Evansville shot past NIU 11-8. But Roy said the Huskies had better scoring opportunities they couldn’t cash in. “Dave Weichman had a breakaway that just went wide and Willy (Roy), Jr. had a shot that hit their goalie in the face and he didn’t even know what hit him.”

The Huskies took on Illinois State University right after their loss and played ISU to a 0-0 tie. Roy said his team came back strong from the loss. “We played very well against (ISU). We should have won 3-0, but their goalie had a hot hand.”

The Huskies concluded their spring season with a 3-1-4 record, but Roy said none of the games were as important as their loss to Evansville. “It was great that we played them. I don’t see nothing but good things happening from now on,” Roy said.