The Northern Illinois women's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season Sunday afternoon, as it came up short in a 1-0 loss to Southeast Misouri State. This weekend marked the beginning of the 2009 season for NIU, which now holds a 1-1-0 record on the season.
The Redhawks' Hayley Abbott scored the lone goal of the game when she headed the ball into the Huskies' goal off a corner kick from teammate Mabel Velarde. Goalkeeper Kristen Starkey recorded five saves, preserving the win for the Redhawks.
Senior Micaela Damas led the Huskies with three shots in the match, as teammates Kelsey Passaglia, Annie Wyer, Kayra Thompson and Sara McClard tallied one shot each for the Huskies. On defense, goalkeeper Lindsey Curnock recorded four saves for the Huskies, her seventh on the season.
"It was an extremely physical game," NIU coach Carrie Barker said. "SEMO is a very strong team, and we played them very tough and strong. It came down to who made a mistake in a set piece, and we ended up giving up a cornerkick that turned into a goal."
The Redhawks outshot NIU, 11-7, on the game, and also recorded seven corner kicks to Northern Illinois' three.
