The NIU men’s soccer team finds itself in a situation not all that different from one it was in last season.

After a 5-0 loss last year at the hands of Washington, the Huskies went on a tear, posting an 11-3-1 record on its way to the NCAA Tournament.

After Wednesday night’s 4-0 loss to Wisconsin, sophomore midfielder Kyle Knotek sees this as a similar opportunity for the Huskies to get things turned around.

“The mood was down obviously, but maybe this could be another one of those milestones in our season where we could turn around after a 4-0 loss and come back and get a big win,” Knotek said. “I think it could propel us to take care of business more and be more responsible throughout the whole game.”

NIU’s first chance comes on Sunday, when it travels to Des Moines, Iowa, for a match with Drake.

Coach Steve Simmons said the team defense has to improve for the Huskies to find success, as well as being able to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Both things were absent during the Wisconsin loss.

“We still need to do better in our defensive transition, which is what [Wisconsin] exploited [Wednesday] night,” he said. “And we’ve got to do better in taking our chances.”

The Huskies are remaining positive despite coming off a four-goal loss, a deficit they are not used to.

“We didn’t feel like we got beat 4-0,” Simmons said, a sentiment Knotek echoed. “We’ve just gotta take away the lessons.”

Knotek knows the Huskies can get things turned around. And he knows what they’ll need in order to do that.

“There is some frustration,” he said. “But the guys are handling it well. The seniors are handling it well. And they’re going to be our key to turning the season around, as long as they stay positive and keep digging like they have.”

The match against Drake will be the last match before the Huskies open MAC play against Western Michigan on Oct. 5.

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