The heat drained women’s soccer’s offensive attack, as the team was punch-less in the first two games of the 2014 campaign this weekend.

The Huskies (0-2) lost to the Illinois State Redbirds (2-0), 4-1, Friday in Normal. Sunday, the Huskies were shut out by the Western Illinois Leathernecks (1-1), losing 2-0 in Macomb.

NIU has high hopes for the season despite starting off on the wrong foot. In both games, the Huskies had to endure 90-plus degree temperatures and high humidity, which left them shorthanded for Sunday’s game as several players were sidelined for heat-related issues.

Illinois State

Against Illinois State, the Huskies were unable to fend off an aggressive Redbird attack until the second half. The Redbirds fired off 16 shots in the first half, while NIU was only able to muster up nine shots in the entire 90 minutes.

After a strong chance by junior Nicole Gobbo was broken up, ISU responded by setting the tempo with a goal by Dagny Olson five minutes into the match.

Freshman goalkeeper Amy Annala, who finished the match with 11 saves, was under constant attack in the first half. Two of Illinois State’s goals came off deflected shots from Paige Jarsombeck, who scored one goal. Both times, Annala was unable to recover in time on the second shot.

Illinois State’s attack was finally slowed after the third and fourth goals, which came in quick succession in the 25th minute.

Head coach John Ross was pleased with his freshman goalkeeper’s performance. Annala made several big saves, including one against Rachel Tejada in a one-on-one opportunity.

“It’s not surprising; she’s very consistent,” Ross said. “I expect her to eventually become one of the top keepers in the region.”

The Huskies started off the second half with a bang. Freshman Marisa Knott fired off a cross into the Illinois State box, allowing senior Ashley Neubeck to drill it into the back of the net for NIU’s lone goal.

The Huskies went on to total five shots in the second half and limited Illinois State to nine shots. Despite being unable to match Illinois State’s first half on the scoreboard, Neubeck said the team came out stronger and finished the game on a good note.

“I think in the second half, we were a lot of more physical,” Neubeck said. “We can learn from this game and build on it.”

Western Illinois

In Macomb, the Huskies played the Leathernecks evenly for the first 67 minutes before WIU’s Sarah Hall scored the match’s first goal. Ten minutes later, Nicole Beer scored another goal to put the game away.

Early in the match, NIU was able to keep up a steady attack on WIU goalkeeper Victoria Kappel, but the Leathernecks were able to fend off the Huskies’ chances. Gobbo led the team with three shots, including one on net.

Annala continued to perform well despite being under frequent attack. She made eight saves, including six in the second half.

Ross said the heat and humidity put a damper on the Huskies’ offensive attack, particularly in the second half. In the first 15 minutes of the half, the Leathernecks outshot NIU, 8-0. The second half finished with the Huskies outshot, 17-3.

“At that point, fatigue kicked in,” Ross said. “We were already down a few players with heat problems. It’s tough for players to run through all that heat and humidity. They say when you’re fatigued the first thing to go is your mind. We have to work at being mentally stronger in those situations.”

Despite starting off the season 0-2 and being picked to finish last in the MAC West, Neubeck said the team is going to surprise people.

Being picked to finish last “really motivated us,” Neubeck said. “We’re going to come out and show everyone we’re better than that. I think we have [a] chance to do very well. We have a lot of fresh talent, and we can get farther [in the MAC playoffs]. That’s our goal, and we’re going to achieve it.”