Win or go home.

That is the saying that runs through the minds of the NIU women’s soccer team as it continues its play in the MAC Tournament this weekend.

The third-seeded Huskies square off with second-seeded Toledo (14-5-1) in the semifinals today at 10 a.m. in Muncie, Ind. NIU (10-5-4) currently rides a six-match unbeaten streak that dates back to Oct. 19, a 1-0 win against Ohio.

The Huskies have not beaten the Rockets since the 2003 season. They fell twice to UT last season, including a 2-1 loss in the 2006 MAC Championship game. NIU also suffered a 4-1 loss earlier this season on Sept. 30.

“Toledo is a great team and they’ve caused us trouble in the past,” said head coach Marci Miller-Jobson. “I think we’ve come a little bit of ways since we’ve last played them, so I think our girls are going to have a little bit of freshness about how they play and how we approach Toledo.”

UT is headed by a powerful offense. The Rockets average nearly two goals a game and are led by forward Molly Cornwell, who leads the MAC with 14 goals.
“They’ve got an extremely good offense,” Miller-Jobson said. “Molly Cornwell is, in my opinion, the best player in the MAC.”

The Huskie defense, however, leads the MAC in 10 shutouts and have won their last three games by a 1-0 score. Sophomore goalkeeper Lindsey Curnock has not allowed a goal in over 330 minutes and has eight shutouts on the season.

Should the Huskies win today’s match, they would face either top-ranked Ball State or fourth-ranked Bowling Green in Sunday’s championship match at 1 p.m. For now, they’re just focused on getting past Toledo.

“This is what we work all year for,” said senior forward Karen Enockson. “This would be a good time to (beat UT), in the semifinals when it counts.

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