Another big week of competition is on deck for six Northern Illinois University teams. Men’s soccer starts things off with a home match versus Lindenwood Thursday night before volleyball and women’s soccer compete Friday. Football plays at Tulsa on Saturday while both the women’s and men’s golf seasons officially begin Sunday!
Football
Saturday, Sept. 10: at Tulsa, 6 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats | Live Audio
NIU Football hits the road for the first time in 2022 Saturday night when it faces the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at 6 p.m. This is the first meeting between the two programs. The Huskies are 1-0 on the season after a 34-27 win over Eastern Illinois in the home opener. Sophomore cornerback Eric Rogers was named MAC West Defensive Player of the Week after intercepting two passes and recording a tackle for loss in the victory. His two INTs were the first two in his career and made him the first Huskie in almost four years to have two interceptions in a game. A full preview will be available on NIUHuskies.com later in the week.
Volleyball
Friday, Sept. 9: at Kansas City, 11 a.m. – Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 10: vs Wichita State, 2 p.m. – Live Video | Live Stats
After going 1-2 in the Popcorn Classic last weekend, the Huskie volleyball team (3-3, 0-0 MAC) now turns their attention to the KC Roos Classic, a three-team tournament hosted by the University of Missouri–Kansas City. Helping NIU greatly at the setter position is junior Ella Mihacevich who racked up a trio of 40+ set assist (10.2/set) performances this past weekend. The starter broke her career-high in set assists versus Valpo (48) and had a double-double against SIUE with 12 digs and 42 set assists. This weekend, NIU will square off against Kansas City on Friday at 11 a.m. and Wichita State on Saturday at 4 p.m. The UMKC Roos enter the weekend with a 3-3 mark while the Shockers are 2-3.
Men’s Soccer
Thursday, Sept. 8 vs. Lindenwood – Live Video | Live Stats
Monday, Sept. 12 vs. UIC – Live Video | Live Stats
A pair of home games await the NIU men’s soccer team as the Huskies host Lindenwood on Thursday (Sept. 8) before welcoming UIC to DeKalb on Monday (Sept. 12). NIU is unbeaten in its last three and coming off a thrilling, 3-2 victory over Milwaukee as Taylor Davis scored his first collegiate goal in the 88th minute to lift the Huskies past the Panthers. Taisei Arima scored twice in the win against Milwaukee, he has scored three goals in the last two games for the Huskies.
Women’s Soccer
Friday, Sept. 9 vs. Western Illinois – Live Video | Live Stats
Monday, Sept. 12 at Wisconsin – Live Stats
The NIU women’s soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to four matches to begin the season with a 2-1 win at Eastern Illinois this past Sunday (Sept. 4). The streak is NIU’s longest unbeaten run to start a season since 2008. Madison Looby and Abby Adams each netted goals in the victory over the Panthers. NIU will host Western Illinois on Friday night (Sept. 9) in DeKalb before traveling to Madison to face Wisconsin on Monday (Sept. 12). The contest against the Badgers was added to the schedule following the cancelation of NIU’s match at Indiana State.
Women’s Golf
Sunday, Sept. 11-12: Redbird Invitational | Live Scoring
The 2022 Mid-American Conference Tournament runner ups return to the course this weekend for another action-packed season! The Huskies will be competing in the Redbird Invitational, hosted by Illinois State at the Weibring Country Club in Normal, Ill. MAC Champion Jasmine Ly, who set the NIU career stroke average record (74.9), is back and ready to contribute. Along with Ly, senior Ahra Ko, sophomore Jóhanna Lúðvíksdóttir, graduate transfer Sydney Naro (Michigan State) plus five other returners are ready to make an impact this fall. The Huskies have four tournaments this fall before their championship season starts in February.
Men’s Golf
Sunday, Sept. 11-13: Badger Invitational | Live Scoring
The NIU men’s golf team opens its 2022-23 season this weekend at the Badger Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin at University Ridge Golf Course. The Huskies tied for third at last season’s MAC Championship, capping a season that saw NIU post four top-five finishes. NIU returns three of its top five players in scoring average from a year ago led by sophomore Ben Sluzas and fifth-year senior Tommy Dunsire. Dunsire finished in the top-20 at last season’s Badger Invitational. This weekend’s tournament is the first of five for NIU this fall.