In the last five years, the NIU women’s soccer team has experienced the best and worst of times.

The team won back-to-back Mid-American Conference championships in 1997 and 1998, had losing seasons in 1999 and 2000 and are off to a slow start in 2001. Coach Frank Horvat, fifth-year senior Jane Mucci and seniors Becca Bleyer, Sarah Dickinson and Megan Anderson have experienced both the winning and losing.

The Past

In 1997, women’s soccer began play in the MAC and was ranked first in a preseason poll, fulfilling expectations by winning the conference tournament. That year, the team outscored their opponents 59-26. Allison Wade scored 19 goals and 45 points while being named MAC Player of the Year.

In 1998, the team again was ranked first in the preseason poll and again won the MAC tournament. The team didn’t dominate like the previous year; it played more close games.

“We had a tremendous amount of athleticism those years,” Horvat recalled of those two seasons. “We had an incredible work ethic on and off the field. We had some players out there that were like coaches. They led by example every day and they performed on game day consistently every single game. Their whole careers here and the chemistry and camaraderie of the team was very tight.”

Despite the loss of Wade after ’97 and Anne Mucci, who led the team in scoring in ’98, things still were looking up for the team in 1999. It was ranked second in a preseason MAC poll. Also, Jane Mucci, Bleyer, Anderson and Dickinson, who all played key roles the previous two seasons, were returning and still had much of their careers ahead of them.

But in ‘99, the team finished 5-14 and seventh in the MAC. Although the team allowed less goals, its own goal total dropped from 48 to 21.

“We lacked some upperclassman leadership all the way around,” Horvat said of the ’99 season. “There wasn’t good team chemistry on the team and that has a big effect in the sport of soccer.”

Things didn’t get any better in 2000 as injuries to key players and inexperience led to a record of 4-14-1. Jane Mucci, who led the team in scoring in ’99 and has a seven goal 19 point average in her Huskie career, was among the injured. She missed the entire year with a back injury.

“It’s always hard to watch when you want to play,” she said.

The Present

This season, the team didn’t win its first game or score its first goal until its sixth game and is off to a 1-5-1 start overall, 1-2 in conference.

Despite the slow start, the team is not giving up on the season.

“The MAC games are the ones that really count and we’ve only had (three),” Jane Mucci said. “We have (nine) more so I don’t think this season is over by any means.”

The seniors also want to end their soccer careers with a good year.

“It’s a very emotional year because you want to do so well and end on a good note,” Bleyer said.

“I don’t want to go out on a season that was disappointing,” Mucci said. “I want to make my last season a good season and I think that’s how all the seniors feel right now.”

With the championship experience that seniors Jane Mucci, Bleyer, Dickinson and Anderson have, it has been surprising to Horvat that the team hasn’t had more success recently. All four came into this season with a total of 173 NIU career starts. However, he praises all of them for what they have been doing for the team.

“Those players are doing a quality job right now from a leadership standpoint,” Horvat said. “I really feel that they’re doing the best they can on the field and off the field.”

Moreover, the success of the ’97 and ’98 teams isn’t forgotten.

“I always have that in the back of my mind knowing we can do that again,” Mucci said.

The Future

Whether the team turns things around this season or not, success is a possibility in the future.

As a result of last year’s injuries, Horvat had to start a lot of freshmen over the course of the year.

Sophomores Katie Klaas, Courtney Lewis, Maggie Nowicki and Tiffany Anderson started no less than 10 games last year.

Klaas made a big impact starting 18 of the team’s 19 games and scoring six goals and 19 points. She was voted the team’s Newcomer of the Year.

Klaas hasn’t given up on this season either, and is excited about the future of the program. She hopes to help the team win the MAC again.

Although the team hasn’t won much, Klaas thinks the experience will make her better.

“It’s made me deal with losing,” she said. “It’s always hard to have a good attitude when your team is losing. After each game, I have to pick myself up and say OK, you’re just going to go at it harder next time.'”

Horvat says the sophomore class is very important to the future.

“What they’ve gotten from experience last year and what they’re going to get if applied properly will pay tremendous dividends for their upcoming junior and senior year,” he said. “They’re having an opportunity to learn from (last year and this year) and step up in the leadership roles in the next two years and make a difference.”