Leaders. Every good team has them, but not all of them are as important or influential as the co-captains on the NIU women’s soccer team.

Juniors Maggie Nowicki and Katie Klaas were selected by coach Frank Horvat at the beginning of this season to help the Huskies get back to their winning ways. They also are in a position to lead a team with 13 freshmen.

“Maggie and Katie bring a bit of diversity to the team as far as being being able to go to one or the other,” Horvat said. “I would feel everybody on the team can go and find one of those two and be comfortable with going to them looking for support, guidance or leadership.”

With no seniors, Klaas and Nowicki along with their fellow juniors were put into a tough position of having to jump into a leadership role.

They have to be ready to lead both on the field and off, such as helping freshmen adjust to traveling or cheering up an underclassman who is down about making a mistake.

“On field, I try to lead by the way I play,” Nowicki said. “Just work hard, and, hopefully, that will be contagious, and the rest of team will follow.”

Both Klaas and Nowicki were part of last year’s squad that won just three games. This year is a different story, as the Huskies already have five wins, including three in the MAC behind the new leadership.

“I feel that Katie and Maggie have been a very important part of our growth to this point,” Horvat said. “They’ve been put into a very difficult situation as a leader and being a captain.”

Klaas and Nowicki both began playing soccer in first grade. Nowicki loves the competitiveness soccer brings her while Klaas grew up with a family who played the game.

“I grew up playing soccer with my brothers,” Klaas said. “I really enjoy it; it’s a great way to stay in shape and do something I love at the same time.”

After last year’s poor record, Nowicki and the team adopted a positive attitude and have tried to stay upbeat this season.

“We lost so much in the past that this year we just have an attitude that we”re not going to lose,” Nowicki said. “After [Sept. 20 and 22] we got killed, we couldn’t let down because we wouldn’t be winning right now. We just get mad now and have a “refuse to lose” attitude.”

With high expectations this year after several difficult seasons, the pressure is on Nowicki and Klaas to make sure this year”s team succeeds. With no one graduating, they are expected to lead next year, too.

Thus far, it seems that the co-captains have made an impact on the team, especially the freshmen.

“Definitely Maggie and Katie have made an impact on me, and along with them Denise [Papke],” freshman Chanelle Crosby said. “I really like the way Denise plays and I really play well with her. Maggie and Katie have explained to me what”s happened in the past years and it’s given me more motivation to play. They’re really good leaders on the field and I feel comfortable playing with them.”

Crosby also is affected by the way Klaas and Nowicki perform on the field.

“I always see Maggie sliding for balls and it gives me inspiration,” Crosby said. “Klaas is just a hard worker, for example she pulled her groin and she’s still playing.”

Horvat stressed how hard it is for a player to step up and have a critical role on a team, especially a team that mostly is composed of two distinct classes as there are just three sophomores.

“They’re close to a lot of players on this team and they have to separate their friendship from what”s most important to the team,” Horvat said. “It’s a very difficult thing to put anybody in that type of position.”

Klaas agreed that it”s a difficult position to be put in, but it”s one that she relishes and has come to terms with.

“I thought I could stay somewhat friends with some people and still be a leader, but at some point everybody will be mad at you for saying something or making a choice that they didn’t like,” Klaas said. “In that way, it”s tough.

“By being a leader I get to let God shine through me. I just try to be an example and work hard. I have no fear in playing because I know God will help me play my best.”

The Huskies will have to stay sharp when they take on Loyola University (3-6) in Chicago at 7:30 p.m. today in a non-conference game. The Huskies tied the Ramblers at home.

While this is a non-conference game, it still is important as far as momentum goes. The Huskies have three critical MAC games this month. This contest also is important for the post-season, as the Huskies are in position to go to the MAC tournament for the first time since 1999.

“I think it has a lot to do with not so much the soccer part, but talking on the field, and mental preparation,” junior Anne Roman said. “The main thing we have to do is be strong mentally. Every game is important as we need wins to get into the MAC tourney.”