The NIU field hockey team reached a first—it received its first loss at Huskie Stadium.

Northwestern sweeper Lorette Vorstman’s penalty-corner goal with just 25 seconds remaining in the game, ended all chances of a win for the Huskie team in a 2-0 loss last night.

Dominating the first half, third-ranked Northwestern tried to out-maneuver an excited NIU squad. Through successful ball control and strong sticks, the Wildcats scored after eight minutes of first-half action.

Northwestern midfielder Kathy Seelaus stood in traffic outside the Huskie goal and lofted the ball past NIU goalie Colleen Preston for the 1-0 lead.

“When you hold a team that is ranked third in the nation to just one goal for most of the game, that’s a job well done,” NIU coach Laurie Bell said.

For the most part, the Huskies stuck to Bell’s game plan. Bell said she wanted her team to keep the ball in the midfield and work from there.

But, the Wildcats were prepared defensively for attacker Anne Marie Roozendaal through the middle. Northwestern set up a wall around the inner-circle, making any forward penetration difficult. “We tried swinging around out and attacking from the sides,” Bell said.

In the first half, the Huskies just couldn’t break the Wildcat wall led by Vorstman, and made frequent mental errors in passing. “We just missed many opportunities and weren’t pressuring the ball in the first half,” Bell said.

The Huskies took command of the second frame and adjusted to the Northwestern defense. With 14 minutes remaining, Roozendaal exploded in a fast-break and centered to freshman Laura Wehrman. Roozendaal’s pass, however, was not enough for Wehrman to connect.

Bell praised Roozendaal’s efforts despite inabilities to score.

As time became a critical factor in the game, the Huskies needed a goal to tie the game. But the Wildcat defense strengthened and slowly began to dominate during the final minutes of the game.

The penalty-corner shot had plagued the Huskies both offensively and defensively. Vorstman’s shot with just seconds left iced the win for the Wildcats.

Recording a total of just three second-half penalty shots, the Huskies couldn’t take advantage in setting up a shot. “It is a small advantage for a team and hurts mentally to miss the opportunites,” Bell said.

The Huskie record dropped to 10-3-1. Two of the three losses are against Northwestern who defeated the Huskies 3-0 on Sept. 7. Ironically, that was the last time the Huskies had lost a game.