You could say the Huskie soccer team was made up of good losers.

After posting a dismal 6-10-2 overall record in 1987, including a 1-3-0 mark in the newly formed Big Central Six Conference, three Huskies were named for postseason conference honors.

Named to the BCS First Team were senior co-captain Helge Abrahamsen and freshman Willy Roy Jr., the team’s leading scorer. Junior co-captain Jim Pisani made the BCS Second Team.

Abrahamsen, a standout defensive performer for NIU his entire career, was awarded all-conference honors each of the previous three years when the Huskies were in the Midwest Metropolitan Soccer Conference.

“I feel good about it,” Abrahamsen said of receiving the league coaches’ recognition. “This was the first year of the conference so I didn’t know what to expect. Any time someone gets an award it’s good for the team.”

Though it was his defensive performances which put Abrahamsen in the spotlight for most of the Huskies’ 18 games, the highlight of the Norwegian’s season came as a forward. On a blustery afternoon in early October, “The Crusader” roamed through the Chicago State defense for three second-half goals enroute to a 10-0 NIU win.

The Huskie’s other first-teamer said he was surprised at being named among the league’s elite players. Roy Jr., a pleasant surprise to first-year coach and father Willy Roy, said earlier this year he did not even expect to start for the Huskies.

“It’s a nice honor to have as an incoming freshman,” Roy Jr. said. “I didn’t expect to get any awards this year. I would have been happy with second team.”

The younger Roy was especially dangerous all year on corner kicks and free kicks, either setting up teammates or letting loose with accurate shots on goal. In the Huskies’ season-opening upset of Brooklyn College, Roy Jr. assisted on Pisani’s goal as NIU battled the fleet-footed BC forwards for a 1-0 victory.

Noticeably absent from the conference honor roll in the opinions of Abrahamsen and Roy Jr. was the other half of NIU’s Oslo, Norway tandem, Preben Halle. A Huskie starter at forward for much of the year, Halle was moved back on defense where he excelled in the season’s latter half.

“Preben should have gotten it,” Abrahamsen said, upset that Halle’s brilliant defensive play went unnoticed. “He was our best player.”