NIU loses to Florida Atlantic 1-0
Senior forward Juan Hoyos (9) attempts a shot while falling over in a game earlier this season versus Akron. Hoyos drew a red card on Florida Atlantic’s Jason Lopaciuk, giving NIU a one-man advantage for the final 30 minues of its 1-0 loss to FAU Saturday.
October 17, 2010
DeKALB | Finishing opportunities has been an issue at times with the NIU men’s soccer team this season and its latest match was no different.
The Huskies felt defeat for the fifth time this year in a 1-0 loss to Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton, Fla. Saturday, which puts them at the bottom of the MAC without a conference win.
“It was definitely disappointing by our standards,” said NIU head coach Eric Luzzi.
NIU (6-5-2 overall, 0-3-0 MAC) only outshot FAU 6-4 in the first half, but the onslaught of chances came in the second as the Huskies took a 14-3 advantage.
The Owls’ goal occurred on their only shot on goal during the match while NIU put six shots on target.
Even with the Huskies dominating most of the game with chances and the ball, the road game itself factored in to the result.
“It’s a really difficult trip,” Luzzi said. “I don’t like this trip very much.
Everything about a trip has a vacation feel to it and to be honest, that’s kind of how we played. We just weren’t very sharp and we weren’t working at our normal rate of energy.”
Florida Atlantic (3-6-2, 1-2-0) broke its five-match winless streak and grabbed its first MAC victory of the season.
The lone goal came in the 32nd minute when one of the Huskies’ set pieces was taken the other way on a counter attack.
Freshman midfielder Martin Nesic received a cross and buried a shot past NIU sophomore keeper Jordan Godsey.
Owls freshman defender Jayson Lopaciuk put his team in an unwanted situation as he took down senior striker Juan Hoyos and was given a straight red with 30 minutes left in the match.
The match played out in a similar fashion before and after the FAU player being sent off as NIU dictated play, but could not get on the scoreboard.
Although NIU sits at the basement of the MAC, it still has three matches left and is just three points back of the final bid for the conference tournament.
“All we can do is focus on Buffalo,” Luzzi said. “I’d like to think that 3-3 still gets us in, but I think if we look to far ahead and take our eyes off of the next game, it’s not going to be to our benefit.”