Men’s, women’s soccer struggle over weekend

By Christopher Loggins

Men’s soccer (1-1-0) fell to College of Charleston (3-1-0) 3-1 Sunday at the Furman Diadora/Spinx Tournament in Greenville, S.C. It was the Huskies’ only game in the tournament after a game scheduled for Friday against Furman was canceled due to bad weather.

NIU struck first, scoring on a first-period goal by freshman forward Giovanni Pacheco, his first of the season. The goal came at the 9:52 mark on an assist from senior mid-fielder Bertrand Gaschot. In the 15th minute, College of Charleston tied the game at 1 on a goal by junior forward Eli Dent, his second goal of the year.

An array of fouls by both teams would follow before the Cougars broke free in the 35th minute for a goal by junior midfielder Nicolas Jeausseran, taking a 2-1 lead.

The Cougars scored their third and final goal at the 44:28 mark, a header goal by senior defender Tucker Coons, his first of the season, on an assist by Khalil Abderahman.

Both teams would go on to trade shots and fouls, but remained scoreless throughout the second period. The Cougars would go on to win by a final score of 3-1, their third victory on the season.

“We had a very good week of training,” said head coach Eric Luzzi, according to an NIU Athletics news release. “In the 30 minutes we played on Friday we were sharp, and we had talked about preparing mentally the right way for today’s game but I don’t think I can say that our guys played to their maximum today, so that is disappointing.”

The Huskies will move on to the NIU Adidas Invitational at 7 p.m. Friday in DeKalb with a game against Florida Atlantic (0-2-1). The second and final game of the weekend will take place at 1:30 p.m. Sunday against Stetson (2-0-0).

Women’s soccer

Women’s soccer (1-4-0) faced off against Milwaukee (2-2-0) on Sunday, losing the contest 2-1. The loss is the Huskies’ fourth in a row since beginning the season with a 2-1 win over Lewis.

NIU struck first in the contest, scoring at the 16:13 mark on a goal by sophomore forward Marisa Knott, her first of the year, on an assist by Nicole Gobbo. The Panthers went scoreless in the first period, as the Huskies held a 1-0 lead heading into the second.

In the second period, Milwaukee tied the game 52 minutes into play with a goal by freshman forward Lourdes Onwuemeka, her first of the season. Onwuemeka assisted on a goal to freshman defender Kelli Swenson, giving Milwaukee the 2-1 lead and eventual win in the 79th minute. The Huskies failed to get a shot attempt in the final 15 minutes of play.

“We fought really hard,” said head coach John Ross, according to NIU Athletics. “We just need to take the next step in the process. We certainly believe in ourselves and have a lot of hope going forward.”

NIU will move on and participate in the Baylor Tournament in Waco, Texas this weekend. The Huskies will face off first against Baylor (1-4-1) at 7 p.m. Friday. The final of the game of the weekend will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday against Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2-0).