Goals were still coming few and far between for the NIU women’s soccer team as it lost two MAC contests this weekend.

The Huskies (5-10, 3-7) took on top-ranked Miami (Ohio) on Friday and came up on the short end of a 3-1 game. Sunday was another defensive battle as the Huskies lost 1-0 to Ball State University.

“Just being in it is not good enough,” coach Frank Horvat said. “We need to win; we don’t want someone to just say they played really good, they gave us a game.”

The RedHawks got on the board early on Friday, scoring in the 12th minute as Andrea Cunningham continued her play that earned her MAC Player of the Week honors. She sent an eight-yarder past Huskie goalkeeper Leigh Steigerwald.

NIU failed to get any shots on goal as the RedHawks seemed to control the ball for much of the first half.

“A lot of times we get caught up on them scoring on us and we can’t regain the confidence thing again,” Denise Papke said. “I think today we didn’t put our heads down. We kept playing, but it was just unlucky.”

Miami kept playing too, as Cunningham notched her second goal of the game in the 62nd minute as the ball slipped through the grasp of Steigerwald and bounded into the net. That would end Steigerwald’s day as freshman Carrie Dvorak entered the game.

With a veteran Miami team that had eight seniors to NIU’s none, the RedHawks stayed in control. Then, NIU freshman Chanelle Crosby connected on a goal from 25 yards out with less than 10 minutes remaining to cut the lead in half.

After the Crosby goal, neither junior Denise Papke nor junior Tiffany Anderson could connect with three shots between them.

“We had our chance today against a team that we’re not supposed to be on the same field with,” Horvat said.

Miami would score again with 16 seconds remaining as Danielle Berkemeier put it home. The RedHawks wrapped up the MAC title and a No. 1 seed for the MAC Tournament.

Against the Cardinals Sunday afternoon, the Huskies managed to outshoot Ball State 17-13, but it didn’t translate into any goals as they were defeated 1-0.

Kate Nadalin put one over Steigerwald’s head for the lone goal off a pass from Eileen Weinheimer.

“We didn’t make a blatant individual mistake to give them the goal,” Horvat said. “It was just a nice goal, a good job of their player turning and getting a shot off.”

Steigerwald managed to stop the other five shots she faced on the day. But the Huskies couldn’t get one of their six shots on goal past reserve Cardinal goalkeeper K.D. Moreland.

The Huskies are now 11th in the MAC and are in danger of missing the MAC Tournament for the fourth straight year.