DeKalb | The men’s rugby team had hoped to pick up where it left off last season, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies lost their season opener versus University of Cincinnati 21-14 at the Outdoor Recreation Sports Complex.

NIU (0-1) got off to a rough start, falling behind 18-0 in the first half. The early deficit was too much for the Huskies to overcome.

Senior team captain Osama Shayeb felt the Bearcats (1-0) took advantage of early penalties by NIU.

“It was penalties and poor discipline,” Shayeb said. “Once you get tired you break the rules a little bit, but our discipline wasn’t where it should be and those penalties allowed them to gain points on us.”

In addition to the early penalties, seniors Pat Caulfield and Joseph Swon, who are both injured, felt communication was an issue against Cincinnati, but it can be corrected.

“With everyone being new and not having played with each other for a while, it’s going to take a little time for everyone to get used to what their teammates are going to be doing on the field,” Swon said.

Caulfield said the Huskies have some work to do in practice.

“We definitely need to work on communication and knowing our roles on the field at all times,” Caulfield said. “If we can correct that we should be successful for the season.”

Despite their loss, the Huskies came to life in the second half. NIU outscored the Bearcats 14-3 and were led by freshman Anthony McKenzie.

“Anthony made two big breaks that led us down the field allowing us to score tries,” Shayeb said. “He put the team on his back. He did really well; the team got really pumped up once we realized we can score versus these guys.”

McKenzie’s breakout game will probably not be the last time people hear about him.

“He’s a very good athlete, willing to learn and take extra time to learn,” Caulfield said. “He is going to be very successful for us.”