NIU women’s soccer coach Frank Horvat has told his players all season that if they play with intensity for the whole game, they can play with anyone.

After a 3-0 loss to Marshall (1-8-1, 1-4-0) – the only team in the MAC without a win this season – on Friday, Horvat hoped for more out of his players.

“I hope they’ll take some time over the next 48 hours and turn things around,” Horvat said. “We don’t have a whole lot more time for a wake-up call.”

Less than 48 hours later, the Huskies took the field against preseason MAC favorite Ohio (4-5-1, 2-2-1), but were forced to settle with a 1-1 tie after 90 minutes of regulation followed by two 15-minute overtime periods.

Ohio’s Gina Siedentopf scored 21:49 into the first half, giving the Bobcats a 1-0 lead at halftime. NIU (1-7-1, 0-4-1) evened the score in overtime when sophomore Christie Ehrhardt netted a goal on a feed from freshman Elaine Eliadis.

“We played very hard today,” Ehrhardt said. “They’re a good team, but I think we’re even better.”

With the score tied, both teams scrambled for a goal, with several near misses. With 8:30 remaining in regulation, the ball was kicked over the goal’s crossbar during a scramble in the penalty box after a Huskies corner kick.

Ohio responded minutes later with a shot at goalkeeper Carrie Dvorak, who deflected the ball with a diving save. The rebound was picked up by an Ohio player whose shot hit the crossbar.

“It’s about time the ball hit the crossbar instead of the back of the net for us,” Horvat said. “I’m glad to see it go our way for once.”

Players weren’t satisfied with a tie, but Horvat said the team showed major improvement from Friday’s loss.

“I’m proud of the way we came out and showed more heart and commitment,” Horvat said. “A tie against one of the better programs is great.”

With the tie, NIU broke its four-game losing streak, but still searches for its first MAC victory.

“Every game is winnable,” Horvat said. “This should convince my players that we’re capable of playing well in a tournament.”