After a strong first half Sunday against Hartwick, the NIU men’s soccer team didn’t bring its defensive swagger out for the second half.

The Huskies (5-7-4, 1-2-1) allowed three second half goals and lost 3-0 to the Hawks in a MAC match.

“We didn’t respond in the second half, and they did and that was a big difference in the game,” NIU head coach Steve Simmons said.

Hartwick’s Ashton Henry scored the first goal of the match in the 57th minute, heading a corner kick past Joe Zimka for the only goal the Hawks would need.

“There were a couple momentum shifts, and they were able to score on theirs, and we weren’t able to score on ours,” Simmons said.