Never winning more than seven games in a season, the final year for the NIU men’s soccer team’s senior class is a rebuilding process under first-year NIU coach Steve Simmons.

The three seniors on the team, Matt Stukenberg, Jason Sullivan and Brandon Smick, all had to deal with this situation since April 15, when Simmons was named the new coach.

The process began with Simmons starting as many as five freshmen in one game.

A two-time First-Team All-State player at Mt. Zion, where he recorded 43 goals and 31 assists, Stukenberg wasn’t prepared for the losing seasons ahead of him when he first came to NIU.

“I’ve been trying to push through it,” Stukenberg said. “But it’s extremely tough for a competitive person like myself to finish every year like we have. We prepare for the worst every game, and we go out there, and it just doesn’t happen.”

The three seniors have compiled 15 wins in 51 matches over the past three seasons, including three first-round exits in the conference tournament. This season, the team has a 2-11-2 record with two regular season home games remaining.

Sullivan and Stukenberg stepped into their roles as mentors on the field this season, with Sullivan spearheading the defense and Stukenberg leading the rest of the team from his mid-field position.

Smick recently began starting on defense, and in his first start this season, the Huskies beat Western Illinois 1-0.

Since then, NIU has lost four games in a row.

Simmons knows the seniors didn’t have to stay, and for that he gives them credit.

“I couldn’t be prouder of these guys,” Simmons said. “What a hard situation it is if you’re in their shoes, but they all bring something different to the table.”

All three seniors came to NIU the year after the Huskies reached the MAC Championship game by winning five of their last six contests with three freshmen, Rasih Pala, Peter Agrimson and Andrew Conti, in the starting lineup.

The future looked bright for the Huskies, and Stukenberg came here for the promising seasons he thought were ahead.

“There was a great accountancy program here, and I was playing D-I soccer,” Stukenberg said. “I had family in Rockford and Decatur, so it was the perfect situation.”

The past three years under former coach Willy Roy proved to be anything but what Stukenberg expected.

“Our struggles came from a combination of coaches and players getting fed up with each other,” Stukenberg said. “Everyone just had a real crappy attitude.”

Sullivan knew what he was getting with the coaching staff when he first arrived. He played for former NIU assistant coach Karsten Roy – Willy’s son – in the Olympic Developmental Program.

“I had other offers,” Sullivan said, “but I was impressed with the program and how close-knit the team was at the time.”

The Quincy Notre Dame graduate recalls his most memorable moment coming against Creighton, who was ranked No. 14 his freshman year.

“The size of the crowd was amazing,” Sullivan said. “We lost 1-2, but you take a step back and realize where you’re at and how far you’ve made it.”

Smick, a defender, also came to NIU through a scholarship offered by Karsten Roy, and got his first start in a Huskie uniform against Creighton.

“Defense has been my forte,” Smick said. “You can score goals from the back. Its the best of both worlds.”

The season is not over yet, and it is not impossible for the Huskies to make a run for the MAC title game. Last season, Bowling Green went 4-12, but made it to the MAC Championship game before losing to Akron 4-1.

“What a reward it would be if we could make it to the championship game for them,” Simmons said. “If we just do the things within our control in the next few weeks, what a great sendoff it would be for those guys.”