After a loss at Western Michigan University and a win at home against Belmont University, NIU men’s soccer has two games left in the regular season.
Looking to end the season with a .500 win percentage, the Huskies (5-7-1, 2-3-1 MVC) are in sixth place in the MVC and are on the brink of a postseason berth.
The Huskie offense severely struggled over the last week, and they are lucky to be coming away with a 1-0 win against Belmont. The Huskie were outshot 22-9 and scored no goals. It was only due to an own goal from Belmont’s defense that led NIU to the win.
In the 3-1 loss at Western Michigan, NIU was outshot 20-12. Junior forward Taisei Arima scored the lone goal for the Huskies and prevented the shutout.
The offense is going to have to be better in order to prevent being swept to close the season. Facing Bowling Green State University and the University of Illinois Chicago, the third and fourth teams in the MVC respectively, one goal is not going to be enough.
While the offense has improved over the course of the season, it has lacked the consistency needed to clinch an opportunity to compete in the MVC championship tournament. There is always a chance that the Huskies will have impressive offensive performances in the last two games, but it seems unlikely given what we have seen from the team.
The goalkeepers have kept NIU in sixth place in the MVC, performing well despite the limited support on the offensive side of the field.
Senior goalkeeper Jakub Rojek had 6 saves at Western Michigan and 7 in the match against Belmont.
Rojek’s performance will be key for the Huskies as the season comes to a close. We have seen NIU struggle to score more than one or two goals in a game, making close games extremely important.
That is a lot of pressure to put on the goalkeepers, especially when they have been consistent in their performance. These last two games for NIU are going to come down to the offensive abilities from both the Huskies and from their opponents.
There are two games left for the Huskies to prove themselves and continue into the postseason.
If the Huskies can keep up offensively, then their defense and goalkeeping should be able to keep them in the game. If NIU comes to play with the same offensive strategies that they have displayed, it seems unlikely that the team will earn the .500 win percentage and earn a playoff spot.
The Huskies face the University of Illinois Chicago at 7 p.m. on Friday at Flames Field. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be updated on StatBroadcast.
