DePaul’s Edwin Arreola and Luke Rojo were marked men heading into their matchup with the NIU men’s soccer team.

NIU (1-7-2, 1-0 MAC) played shorthanded for the final 57:56 of the game and lost 1-0 at DePaul (3-6-0) on Wednesday.

With 3:25 remaining in the game, the Blue Demons’ offensive combo of Arreola and Rojo hooked up from 15-yards out. Arreola scored on a lead pass from Rojo just inside the right side of the box.

“It was a good gut check for us,” NIU coach Steve Simmons said. “But when you’re pinned down for so long, something will eventually give way.”

NIU senior Matt Stukenberg left the Huskies shorthanded after receiving two yellow cards for questioning a no-call by the official with 12:56 left in the first half. After a player is ejected from the game, they may not be replaced. NIU was forced to play 10-men on 11 for the rest of the match.

“The red card really changed the whole complexion of the game,” Simmons said. “I give my players a lot of credit for coming back and battling hard the way they did.”

Huskies freshman goalkeeper Matt Corcoran recorded four saves, which was matched by his counterpart, Jeff Klitze of DePaul.

NIU thought they had taken the lead halfway through the second period, but the goal was called back.

Junior defenseman Bruce Conrad headed a pass that deflected off the DePaul cross-bar and into the net. A foul was called on DePaul seconds before the ball dropped into the back of the net to wipe away what would have been Conrad’s second goal of the year.

NIU was outshot 11-7 in the contest, and the Blue Demons held a 10-1 advantage in corner kicks. This was the fifth time the Huskies have been shutout this season.

“We did well in defending set plays today,” Simmons said. “I was really pleased with our effort, especially after the red card, but we got beat on a couple of details.”

The Huskies play the second of three non-conference games in a row when Western Illinois comes to DeKalb for a 1 p.m. Sunday game at Huskie Soccer Field.