Multiple Huskie teams continue their march through the fall season this week. Women’s soccer hosts Western Michigan under the lights this Thursday at 7 p.m. before the men head to Kalamazoo for a 4 p.m. date with the Broncos the following day. Men’s golf looks to keep their momentum going at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate in Albuquerque, N.M. and volleyball begins MAC play with matches versus Akron Friday night and Saturday afternoon at Victor E. Court. Saturday night, football faces Kentucky on the road in a nationally-televised game on ESPN2. Women’s soccer concludes the week’s action on Sunday with a road match against Toledo at noon.
Football
Saturday, Sept. 24: vs Kentucky, 6:00 p.m. – ESPN2 | Live Audio
The NIU Football team goes on the road Saturday to take on a top-10 opponent in the #8/9 Kentucky Wildcats at 6 p.m. The game will be nationally-televised on ESPN2. This is the third time in the last four years NIU has faced a ranked opponent after taking on a #25-ranked Michigan team last season in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Huskies will be facing a Southeastern Conference opponent for the second straight week after a 38-28 loss to Vanderbilt this past Saturday at Huskie Stadium. Sophomore running back Antario Brown and senior wide receiver Cole Tucker both had the longest scoring plays of their careers last week against the Commodores. Brown had a 51-yard rushing touchdown that put NIU ahead 21-14 late in the second quarter, while Tucker’s 70-yard touchdown reception on the third play of the third quarter extended the lead to 28-14. Defensively, sophomore safety CJ Brown led NIU with a season-high 13 tackles. Saturday’s game is the first meeting on the gridiron between the Huskies and Wildcats. A full preview of Saturday’s game will be available on NIUHuskies.com later in the week.
Volleyball
Friday, Sept. 23: vs Akron, 6 p.m. – Live Video | Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 24: vs Akron, 2 p.m. – Live Video | Live Stats
The Huskies ended their non-conference schedule with two big wins over Rhode Island and Southern Indiana in this past weekend NIU Invitational. NIU extended their win streak to four-straight as the Huskies dispatched the Southern Indiana in straight sets (25-15, 25-21, 25-22) and beat Rhode Island in four (25-21, 25-11, 25-20). Francesca Bertucci (8.14 digs/set), Ella Mihacevich (10.14 assists/set) and Charli Atiemo (3.14 kills/set) landed all-tournament team spots for their successes in the weekend’s games. The Huskies, who are firing on all cylinders, lead the league in digs (16.94 per-set), opponent blocks (1.74 per-set), kills (14.26 per-set) and hitting percentage (.256). Akron enters the weekend with a 3-8 overall mark and is last in the MAC East.
Men’s Golf
Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23-24: at William H. Tucker Intercollegiate – Live Stats
The NIU men’s golf team plays its second tournament of the fall this Friday and Saturday at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, hosted by New Mexico. Sophomore Ben Sluzas got off to a fast start to the 2022-23 season at the Badger Invitational, posting a 36-hole score of nine-under par 135 to tie for the individual championship. Sluzas carded a bogey-free round of six-under 66, the lowest of his collegiate career, to jump seven spots on the leaderboard on the final day. He was named the MAC Golfer of the Week after his win. Fifth-year senior Tommy Dunsire also had a top-15 finish, tying for 12th at four-under par. As a team, the Huskies finished 12th in a field that included five teams in the GolfWeek top-50 preseason rankings and just three shots back of fifth.
Women’s Soccer
Thursday, Sept. 22: vs. Western Michigan – Live Video | Live Stats
Sunday, Sept. 25: at Toledo – ESPN3 | Live Stats
Fresh off a win at Chicago State to close non-conference play, the NIU women’s soccer team will open its league slate this week with matchups against Western Michigan and Toledo. The Huskies will welcome the Broncos to DeKalb on Thursday (Sept. 22) for a 7 p.m. kickoff before traveling to Toledo on Sunday (Sept. 25). NIU is coming off a 2-0 victory over Chicago State, Claudia Muessig scores her second goal of the season, Aubrey Robertson netted her first collegiate goal and Deighton Wamer posted her second shutout of the year in the victory over the Cougars.
Men’s Soccer
Friday, Sept. 23: at Western Michigan – Live Video | Live Stats
The NIU men’s soccer team will begin league play on Friday (Sept. 23) when the Huskies travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to face Western Michigan. A new-look Mid-American Conference features five teams in men’s soccer this season with an eight-game, double round-robin format. The Huskies enter league play on the back of a 1-0 win at Western Illinois on Saturday (Sept. 17). Enrique Banuelos scored his first goal of the season and Martin Sanchez picked up his first shutout of the year in the win. Western Michigan enters league play with a 5-1 record that includes wins over a trio of Big Ten foes (Michigan State, Northwestern and Wisconsin).