Both at home and on the road, the Huskies are on display this week! Men’s soccer kicks off the weekend slate with a road trip to Bradley while the NIU football team commences the 2022 season by hosting Eastern Illinois on Thursday as well. Volleyball heads to Valparaiso for the Popcorn Classic on Friday before Cross Country hosts the First State Bank Huskie Challenge right here in DeKalb! Women’s soccer wraps up the action-packed weekend with a road contest versus Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m.
Football
Thursday, Sept. 1: vs Eastern Illinois, 7 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats
NIU Football opens its 120th season on Thursday night when it hosts Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m. at Huskie Stadium. The game will be telecast on ESPN+. The defending MAC champions return 22 starters, including 21 on offense and defense, from a season ago and were selected by the league media to repeat in 2022. Eight different Huskies were named to one or more national awards watch lists in the preseason, led by 2021 first team All-MAC safety CJ Brown, who earned recognition on the Jim Thorpe, Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik preseason watch lists. NIU holds a 27-10-1 record in the series with the Panthers after a 38-10 win in 2017. Log on to NIUHuskies.com for a full preview.
Volleyball
Friday, Sept. 2: vs Campbell, 1 p.m. – Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 3: vs SIUE, 10 a.m. – Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 3: at Valparaiso, 5 p.m. – Live Stats
NIU is coming off an impressive weekend at the Huskie Invitational where the team went 2-1 with wins over NJIT and UIC. In the 3-0 win over NJIT, Katie Jablonski logged a career-high .438 hitting percentage, Emily Dykes had a career-high five service aces and Ella Mihacevich smashed her career-high in set assists with a staggering 37. Now, NIU turns its attention to the Popcorn Classic, another four-team tournament which features Campbell, SIUE, Valpo and the Huskies. NIU will face Campbell at 1 p.m. on Friday and SIUE at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The Huskies and Valpo conclude the tournament at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Women’s Soccer
Sunday, Sept. 4: at Eastern Illinois, 1 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats
Unbeaten after three games for the first time since 2008, the NIU women’s soccer team will head to Charleston to face Eastern Illinois in its lone game of the week on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies recorded back-to-back draws this past weekend, playing to a 0-0 stalemate with Lindenwood on Friday (Aug. 26) before tying Southern Illinois, 1-1, on Sunday (Aug. 28). Claudia Muessig scored the game-tying goal against the Screaming Eagles in the 54th minute, just 47 seconds after Southern Indiana had taken the lead. Eastern Illinois also enters the week unbeaten as the Panthers have a 1-0-3 mark.
Cross Country
Friday, Sept. 2: First State Bank Huskie Challenge, 5 p.m.
The NIU cross country team will start the 2022 season at home on Friday night as it hosts the First State Bank Huskie Challenge. The Huskies will welcome a five-team field to the North 40 Course on the NIU campus, which is accessible off Kishwaukee Drive and located just east of Barsema Hall and the NIU Engineering Building. The five-kilometer women’s race is slated to begin at 5 p.m. Brooke Valentine returns to lead the Huskies this season after being the top-finishing Huskies in three meets a season ago, including the Mid-American Conference Championship
Men’s Soccer
Thursday, Sept. 1: at Bradley, 7 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats
Monday, Sept. 4: vs Milwaukee, 7 p.m. – Watch | Live Stats
After splitting a pair of games in California, the NIU men’s soccer team returns to the State of Illinois as it heads to Peoria to meet Bradley on Thursday night. The Huskies will then host Milwaukee in their home opener on Monday night at 7 p.m. in the annual matchup for the Lewang Cup. NIU fell to a late goal in the opener last Thursday (Aug. 25) at San Francisco, 3-2, before rebounding with a 2-1 victory at Saint Mary’s on Sunday (Aug. 28). Angel Rodriguez and Parker Jeppson each scored their first career goal in the win while Nolan Cosgrove recorded his first win as a Huskie. Bradley comes into play this week with a 1-1 record while Milwaukee currently has a 0-2 mark.