Nicole Gobbo
The NIU Women’s Soccer Team saw its record drop to 2-2-0 Friday with an afternoon loss to the South Dakota Coyotes in the first game of the Jackrabbit Invitational.
It was a tough game for the Huskies in Brookings, S.D., as they failed to score in the second half while the Coyotes did so twice to seal the victory.
“We played better in the first half, but we didn’t capitalize,” said head coach John Ross. “We had our chances. In the end, the played harder than us.”
Neither team scored during the first 30 minutes of play.
As the 31st minute came, things started happening. South Dakota struck first with an unassisted goal by Elena Tsakakis. Sara Spaulding (Milton, Wis./Milton) and Nicole Gobbo (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) were having none of that, as they connected to tie the game in the 32nd minute for Gobbo’s second goal of the season. The game went into the half tied at 1-1.
When the second half began, things began to go wrong for the Huskies.
In the 53rd minute, South Dakota’s Rebecca Sparkman scored to give the Coyotes a 2-1 lead. Jamie Karch followed her score with one of her own in the 60th minute, giving South Dakota a two-goal lead.
For more information on NIU women’s soccer and Huskie athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.
