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Northern Star

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Huskies face MAC foes

By Juan Marquez | September 26, 2001

NIU women's soccer coach Frank Horvat is relieved his team picked up its first win last Friday, 5-3 over Akron. "It built up some confidence and relieved a lot of frustration from the other games," Horvat said. The Huskies will take that confidence into...

Past, present, future

By Juan Marquez | September 25, 2001

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....

Women’s soccer team snaps losing streak team

By Juan Marquez | September 24, 2001

Coach Frank Horvat and the NIU women's soccer team ended their winless and scoreless streaks with a 5-3 victory over the Akron Zips Friday night. But the Huskies (1-5-1, 1-2 in MAC) had to settle for a weekend split after a 2-0 loss to Kent State Sunday....

Women’s soccer match postponed

By Juan Marquez | September 12, 2001

As a result of the terrorist attacks in the United States on Tuesday, NIU officials have postponed the women's soccer game with Central Michigan on Sunday. No makeup date has been set, but coach Frank Horvat says the team will continue to practice on...

Soccer heads to Florida

By Juan Marquez | September 6, 2001

NIU women's soccer coach Frank Horvat knows this weekend's trip to Florida is going to be a major test for his Huskies. The Huskies will spend their second weekend of the season in Miami for two games in the Florida International Classic. Their first...

NIU settles for tie with Loyola

By J.D. Piland | September 4, 2001

The NIU women's soccer team opened up the season at home Friday with a 0-0 tie against Loyola University. In the first half, the game was statistically similar, but the NIU women had a small advantage. Early in the first half, Rambler forward Katie Koning...

Horvat looks to rebuild

By Juan Marquez | August 29, 2001

NIU women's soccer coach Frank Horvat hopes the Huskies can rebound from a 4-14-1 record last season. Horvat said last year's team was slowed by injuries, which forced him to play several freshmen. But with a healthy team to start the season and a solid...

Soccer ties with alumnae

By Jason Walton | August 26, 2001

The NIU women's soccer team fell behind early Saturday at the annual Alumni SoccerFest, but came back to earn a 3-3 draw. Sophomore Katie Klaas scored two goals and senior Jane Mucci added a pair of assists. This was Mucci's first action since 1999 after...

Roman runs with revamped Huskies

By Joe Lacdan | April 26, 2001

Each time Anne Roman took the field for the women's soccer team last season, a part of her was missing. This spring, the freshman midfielder got it back. Playing only in spurts, Roman had lacked the endurance that the rest of the team had. Originally,...

Mucci kick-starts soccer rebirth

By Joe Lacdan | April 8, 2001

With the return of senior midfielder Jane Mucci this spring, the NIU women's soccer team has taken a giant step toward returning to the top of the Mid-American Conference. Coach Frank Horvat notes that it will take more than a healthy Mucci to produce...

Owen makes cut for top student athletes

By Jason Walton | March 30, 2001

Junior wrestler Scott Owen added another award to his list of accomplishments after being named to the Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District V Fall/Winter At-Large team. The team recognizes student athletes who compete in wrestling, cross country, fencing,...

New addition to bolster soccer scoring

By Joe Lacdan | March 23, 2001

With the signing of Katie Kieffer, the NIU women's soccer team gets a talented midfielder and NIU forward Katie Klaas reunites with a familiar face.

Kieffer, a Rockford Christian Life High School senior and a former teammate of Klaas, signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Huskies next fall. Klaas and Kieffer formed the nucleus of Christian Life's potent offensive attack last spring, when Kieffer dished a school-record 24 assists and Klaas netted 50 goals.

But Kieffer said she didn't choose NIU just to join her old teammate.

"I chose NIU because it was close to home, so I could still have my friends and family watch me play soccer," Kieffer told the Rockford Register Star. "I really liked the school, and the overall program and coach [Frank] Horvat."

Although Kieffer and Klaas formed a one-two offensive punch for Christian Life, Horvat said Kieffer's role probably will be different at NIU. She could play up front with Klaas, but may be needed at outside midfield.

"It's going to be an opportunity for both of them to grow in different ways," he said.

Either way, Klaas still thinks Kieffer will help her no matter where she plays on the field. Kieffer, she said, has good ball control that enables her to shield the ball from opposing defenders. Klaas struggled to put the ball in the net last fall, and believes Kieffer will make it easier.

"I am thrilled," Klaas said. "I think it'll help me because she will be a huge asset as far as giving passes on the ground. A lot of times I have trouble getting passes."

A club soccer veteran, Kieffer not only can distribute assists, but also has scoring ability. She netted 52 goals in three years heading into her senior season this spring, and became acquainted with NIU's campus when she participated in the Olympic Development Program hosted in DeKalb.

The Huskies managed just 22 goals in 19 games last fall. They return three goal-scoring threats in Klaas, Jill Heikkila and Jane Mucci, who sat out last fall with a medical redshirt.

The Huskies also announced the signing of Carry Walker, whom Horvat expects to contribute next fall.

"She's got great distribution skills and reads game well," Horvat said. "She knows how to take away passing lanes. We're counting on her to give us some depth and challenge people for playing time."