Freshman Kevin Woerner of the NIU men’s soccer team stole the spotlight on Senior Recognition Day.

Scoring one goal and tallying one assist, Woerner led the Huskies (3-11-2, 2-3 MAC) to a 2-0 win against Buffalo (1-11-3, 0-6) Sunday at Huskie Soccer Field.

NIU’s Bernhard Hagevik, a junior, fought through the Buffalo defense in front of the net and scored his second goal of the season off a corner kick by Woerner 19:27 into the game.

The Huskies took a 1-0 lead into halftime, and held on for the win after Woerner scored his first career goal for NIU off a redirected pass by Eric O’Reilly in the second half.

Woerner now has five points on the season, tying with Matt Stukenberg for third on the team.

On defense, freshman goalkeeper Matt Corcoran recorded four saves for his second shutout of the year, and gave Buffalo its eighth straight loss.

“To get a shutout like this is great,” NIU coach Steve Simmons said. “They’re making a statement to the rest of the league, and Matt Corcoran has come up with the big saves in the last three games.”

NIU lost 1-0 in its last two games to No. 12 Akron and Western Michigan. With their win against Buffalo, Simmons thinks the Huskies are putting themselves in a good position to make a run in the conference tournament.

“I hope this can set the tempo going into the MAC tournament,” Simmons said. “This last week is vital for momentum and to make this team feel like we’re legitimate contenders.”

The Huskies snapped a losing streak of their own that began at the beginning of their recent four-game road trip, where they lost all four matches.

With all three of NIU’s wins coming at Huskie Soccer Field this season, senior Matt Stukenberg could find only two reasons why the Huskies play better at home.

“There’s more pressure at home,” Stukenberg said. “Athletes thrive on pressure. I also think we sleep better at home.”