The NIU soccer team boosted its record to 3-3-0 over the weekend by defeating Bradley 2-0 in front of a home crowd at Huskie Stadium

Most people would think the 2-0 win would gladly be accepted by a coach. However, soccer coach Willy Roy expected a greater winning margin against a lesser-skilled Bradley team.

“I thought maybe a 4-0 type of ballgame,” Roy said. “And the opportunities were there. We had shots bouncing around. Our people were passing the ball back, and then we just didn’t have people looking for the stuff.”

The first half of the game was scoreless. Neither NIU or BU could manage to put the ball in the net, which led to looks of frustration as the players headed to the locker room for halftime.

Just minutes into the second half, the Huskie offense started to gel as team co-captain Jim Pisani poked one in from seven yards with a disputed assist going to Jim Corno.

The next NIU goal came at 64:44 into the game when freshman John Lechner shot from right of center and a distance of 11 yards. The assist was credited to senior Vincent Matthews.

After the two Huskie goals, NIU continued to create scoring opportunities. However, with the exception of about 20 minutes in the second half, the game was pretty much a question of what could have been.

BU’s loss may appear to be an improvement from the 7-0 beating they took from the Huskies last year, but a look at the statistics showed no shots on goal for the Braves—definitely not respectable.

The Braves’ loss moved its record to a less than desirable 1-5-0 overall.

When asked to name the standout player of the game, coach Roy turned the question into a plural one.

“It was David Pacwa and Karsten (Roy),” Roy said. “Karsten made some excellent runs coming out of the back supporting the forward line. David went in and attacked every ball in his area. He (Pacwa) got the job done.”

Coach Roy knows what it takes to win, and as far as the coach is concerned, the team has to improve.

“If we want to go into a more elite group of soccer universities in the country, we are going to have to be much more mentally prepared for the game.”

Coach Roy’s concern for the future of the team showed when he scheduled practice on Sunday with an emphasis on conditioning.

The next soccer game will be Wednesday night against Marquette at 7:00 p.m. on the artificial turf of Huskie Stadium.