An early goal sank the NIU women’s soccer team’s chance of home-field advantage in the first round of the MAC Tournament.

The Huskies (9-5-5 overall, 5-4-2 MAC) fell 2-0 to Western Michigan Thursday afternoon. The loss

dropped NIU to sixth place in the MAC standings and sends the Huskies on the road for Sunday’s MAC Tournament quarterfinal match.

The Broncos (7-10-1, 6-4-1) found the back of the net in the game’s fourth minute when WMU’s Stephanie Skowneski buried one past NIU goalkeeper Lindsey Curnock. WMU added an insurance score at the 82 minute mark.

“Defensively it wasn’t one of our better games,” said NIU head coach Carrie Barker. “Our defense broke down individually on the first goal that led to more mistakes later on. Western Michigan did a good job putting those two chances away.”

NIU outshot WMU 13-12 in the contest, but goalkeeper Julia Francy made six saves for the Broncos. Sophomore Mo Smunt led the Huskies with three shots, but it was not enough to overcome the Bronco defense.

“They made it really difficult for us to get opportunities because they had a lot of numbers behind the ball,” Barker said.

This season marks the Huskies’ third consecutive trip to the MAC Tournament.