he NIU men’s soccer team was unable to come up with a victory against Bowling Green or Wisconsin-Milwaukee this weekend, keeping the Huskies winless at home.

Friday, Bowling Green’s top two scorers took charge against the Huskies, scoring both Falcon goals in a 2-1 win over NIU.

Falcons’ freshman Robert Aouad struck first at the 18:30 mark off a five-yard putback on NIU goalkeeper Steve Goletz, who started in net for the first time this season.

The Huskies’ Peter Agrimson wasted no time getting NIU on the board in the second half. One minute after the break, Agrimson scored an unassisted goal to knot it up at one.

Five minutes later, Bowling Green’s Paul Dhaliwal scored an unassisted goal that proved to be the game-winner.

“We work so hard, nobody on the team ever gives up,” coach Willy Roy said. “We need to keep our spirits up.”

The Huskies outshot BGSU 21-12 overall, and put five shots on goal compared to the Falcons’ three. Goletz recorded one save.

The Huskies played well enough Sunday to win after going into the half scoreless against a team that is on the brink of cracking the national polls after receiving votes in the www.soccertimes.com and NSCAA/adidas polls this past week.

“They’re a good team,” Roy said. “They’re technically sound and a solid squad.”

The Panthers’ Kyle Lance scored at the 23:50 mark after tapping in a loose ball in front of the Huskie net.

“Most goals this year haven’t been super shots,” Roy said. “It was a give and go and our player let his guy go, and they were able to tap in the ball.”

After consistent pressure on the UWM defense, the Huskies had three corner kicks late in the second half, but were unable to convert, falling by a score of 1-0.

Goletz had five saves in goal for the Huskies and earned praise from his coach for his effort.

“Steve was a little nervous at the beginning, but he got over it,” Roy said. “He doesn’t play like a freshman.”

“It was a big game and we were ready to play,” Goletz said. “In the first half we payed well and a freak goal got knocked in.”

Roy also gave credit to Jason Sullivan, Agrimson and Rasih Pala for playing excellent games in the field.

“Our luck has eventually got to change, but it was a better effort by the team,” Roy said.