Per NIU Media Release:
Sixteen regular season games, including seven home contests, highlight the 2021 Northern Illinois University men’s soccer schedule, announced today by head coach Ryan Swan.
“It is exciting to be firing up and getting ready for a traditional fall season,” said Swan. “The guys have moved back in, and we were on the field for the first time yesterday. The schedule is very good, starting right off in preseason with Missouri State, who was undefeated in the regular season last year and went to the national tournament.
“We travel to Notre Dame, Northwestern is back on the schedule, Marquette and Akron both come to NIU, so there is a lot of really good competition, and we can’t wait to get going.”
The Huskies will open the campaign with a pair of exhibition contests as they travel to Missouri State on August 16 and host Purdue Northwest on August 20. The trip to Springfield, Mo., represents a homecoming for Swan who spent eight years as the head coach at Drury University in Springfield.
NIU’s regular season is slated to open on Thursday, August 26, when the Huskies welcome Purdue Fort Wayne to DeKalb for the official kickoff to the 2021 slate. Four days later, the Huskies will travel to South Bend, Ind., for the first meeting against Notre Dame since 2007. NIU is unbeaten in four previous meetings with the Fighting Irish, including a 1-1 draw in the last meeting (Sept. 9, 2007).
The Huskies return home on Saturday, September 4, when they host St. Thomas (Minn.) in the first meeting between the two teams. The Tommies are in their first season playing as a Division I program and are members of the Summit League.
Following a trip to Eastern Illinois on September 7, NIU will host Marquette on Friday, September 10. The Golden Eagles advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament this past spring. The Huskies will then visit Milwaukee on Tuesday, September 14, in the annual Lewang Cup clash. NIU is the current holders of the cup after defeating the Panthers, 1-0, in overtime in 2019. The two teams were unable to meet a season ago as the Horizon League played an all-conference schedule.
A home date against Western Illinois on September 18 will be followed by three consecutive road contests, starting with a trip to Chicago State on September 21. After a visit to Green Bay (Sept 25), NIU opens Mid-American Conference play in Kalamazoo against Western Michigan on Saturday, October 2.
The league home opener sees NIU host West Virginia on Saturday, October 9, before the Huskies step back out of conference with a trip to Evanston to meet Northwestern for the first time since 2014 on October 12.
Defending MAC Champion Bowling Green comes to DeKalb on Saturday, October 16, followed by a trip south to meet the two newest members of the MAC when the Huskies meet Georgia Southern on October 21 and Georgia State on October 23.
NIU’s final conference game sees the Huskies welcome Akron to DeKalb on Saturday, October 30. The Huskies swept both meetings against the Zips last season, NIU’s first season sweep of Akron since 1990.