A good defense will literally mean a good offense for the NIU soccer team if Willy Roy gets his way—and he usually does.

Roy will get the chance to see his high-powered offense in action this Saturday at 11 a.m. when the Huskies take on the Loyola Ramblers in their spring exibition game.

“We don’t want to be just a good defensive team,” Roy said. “Anyone can be a good denfensive team. We want to be a good team, and good teams are capable of scoring goals.”

“If our forwards are marked, our defenders should be wide open and I would want them to run up the field and score some goals,” Roy said.

Of course, defenders moving aggressively up the field will leave the Huskie goal a little more vulnerable, but Roy already has that covered.

“We’ve got a good goalkeeper (sophomore Markus Roy, one of Willy Roy’s three sons),” said Roy. “We want him to have some work, too. We don’t want him to just stand there and collect unemployment checks.”

After capturing a share of the Wisconsin Spring Tournament last month, the Huskies haven’t been very active. “We’ve been practicing and trying to get back in shape, but it’s the beginning of life again for some kids. Some guys have been looking good and some haven’t.”

Just because it’s exhibition, don’t think that Roy will go easy on his players. “I think winning is important no matter what the situation. Some people still have to learn how to win. If you win, practice seems to be more fun. If you’re losing, playing becomes work. It’s just like in the classroom. If you’re getting A’s then you like the class; if you’re getting D’s you don’t want to go to class.”