A bitter taste was left in the mouth of the NIU wrestling team on Friday, as it dropped its third MAC and second home match of the season.

The Huskies (4-7 overall, 0-3 MAC) fell late to Eastern Michigan (7-9, 1-2) 18-16. This was the Huskies first loss to the Eagles since the ‘96-’97 season.

“Some things could have gone either way,” said NIU head coach Dave Grant. “Maybe if we took more shots, things could have been different.”

Entering the last match of the night, NIU led 16-15 and had redshirt sophomore Bryan Deutsch to go in the 157-pound bout. Deutsch started off on top in the third period, trailing 6-4, but gave up a quick reversal and lost 8-6.

Sophomore Bryan O’Connor began the night with a 2-1 decision to give the Huskies an early 3-0 lead.

In the 174-pound match, freshman Derrick Yant grabbed another win for NIU. With 30 seconds left and a 3-3 tie, Yant made an escape and a takedown for a 6-3 victory over the Eagles’s Tommy St. Louis.

After a third decision by sophomore Brad Dieckhaus to give the Huskies a 9-0 lead, things started falling apart. EMU took the next four matches, three major decisions and one decision, for a 15-9 lead.

The 197-pound bout was packed with action from the start. Redshirt freshman Scott Penny started off the first period with a takedown and a very near fall. After Penny took a 5-0 lead, EMU’s John McClure erupted to a 14-5 major decision.

Going for his 20th win, freshman Izzy Montemayor gave up another major decision for NIU and the lead.

No. 20 Tristen DeShazer and No. 28 Sean Clair highlighted the night in their 133-pound bout.

EMU was awarded three penalty points, and it proved to be the difference in the 5-3 decision.

“The move that I did, I do in every single match, and I got two illegal points for doing it, and it could have turned the match around,” DeShazer said. “Maybe I could have pushed the pace more, but other than that I think what I did was not illegal.”

His frustration came out near the end of the match when DeShazer pushed Clair into the scorers table, but it did not factor into the final score.

Redshirt sophomore Pat McLemore stepped up for the Huskies with a 10-2 major decision to cut the deficit to 15-13.

“It was a nice win from Pat McLemore, that’s the kind of leadership you need from your upperclassmen, or, in our case, sophomores,” Grant said.

Freshman Steve Zimmerman continued to wrestle unlike his underclassman status with a 7-3 decision and his 16th win of the season. The win gave NIU a 16-15 lead, but it wasn’t enough in the end.

“He’s got great mat awareness,” Grant said. “We’re really pleased with a lot of the younger guys in our program.”

The Huskies will have one more chance for a home win this Sunday when Central Michigan comes to the Convocation Center at 1:05 p.m.