From a team that finished the season with just three wins last season, to starting 2025 with a 3-1-1 record, NIU men’s soccer has had a vastly different start to the season than they did in 2024.
Last season, the Huskies went 1-4 in their first five games. This season, they have already tied their win total, accumulating three wins in their first five games of their campaign.
From a dominant offense to consistent goalkeeping, here are my three greatest takeaways from men’s soccer’s first five games of the season.
AGGRESSIVE OFFENSE
Out-shooting their opponents in all but one match thus far, the Huskies’ offense has been creating ample opportunities. Averaging 18 shots and 2.2 goals per game, the team has found a rhythm on the attack.
In its three-win 2024 campaign, NIU finished the season producing just 1.25 goals and 9.8 shots per game, almost half of this season’s averages.
Despite the 2-1 loss against then-No. 19 Kansas City, NIU outshot the Roos 18-9. Even against nationally ranked opponents, the Huskies’ offense is finding ways to create chances at a higher rate than last season.
The more shots the attack creates, the more chances there are for opponents’ defense or goalkeeper to make a mistake and let one into the back of the net.
Coming out strong in 2025 has been key for the Huskies, and is only going to become more crucial as they approach Missouri Valley Conference play.
DEPENDABLE GOALKEEPING
Between redshirt sophomore Caleb Pearson and junior Atahan Arslan, NIU goalkeepers allowed 45 goals in 2024.
Arslan started eight games and allowed 14 goals in his sophomore season, while missing significant time with injury.
Now healthy and the No. 1 goalkeeper for the Huskies, Arslan has recorded two shutouts on the season and allowed just 4 goals.
Having their starting goalkeeper back not only benefits the team’s defensive abilities, but has allowed for consistency and dependability in goal – which was missing last season.
IMPACTFUL NEWCOMERS
The Huskies’ two leading scorers are both in their first season at NIU. Sophomore forward Katai Mukuka leads the team this season with 3 goals, while freshman forward Vance Sheffield has two.
Mukuka, a transfer from Brescia University, recorded his first 2 goals in the Huskies’ 5-0 blowout of Western Illinois University, while adding the game-winner in the 2-1 win at Indiana University Indianapolis.
Sheffield, who was just the third player in Oregon history to score 100 goals in his high school career, scored his first career goal in the 85th minute to power the Huskies’ 1-0 win over the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. In NIU’s most recent game at IU Indianapolis, Sheffield got the Huskies on the board in the sixth minute.
Mukuka and Sheffield have been the spark that the offense needed after a rough 2024 season, and have been directly responsible for two of NIU’s three wins this season.
NIU men’s soccer returns to action at 1 p.m. Saturday when they take on the St. Thomas University at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex in DeKalb.
