The NIU soccer team looks to stay undefeated at home today when the Huskies put their 5-0-0 home record on the line against the Wildcats of Northwestern.

The Huskies (7-2-1) are coming off a defeat at the hands of St. Louis University, 2-0. The game was a battle of the No. 1 (St. Louis) and No. 3 (NIU) teams in the Midwest region, and the underdogs came up losers in what NIU coach Willy Roy believed was not his team’s best performance.

“I think that we could have won the game,” Roy said. “We had some great opportunities, but it didn’t happen.”

The Huskies will look to take advantage of all their opportunities today as they attempt to get back on the winning track at 5 p.m. on Huskie Soccer Field. Roy said he has his team prepared to battle the aggressive attack of the Wildcats.

“They fight like dogs,” Roy said. “Oh, they are the Wildcats, so they fight like Wildcats, I mean.”

In any case, Roy said his team has to be ready to come out and play.

“We’ll have our hands full,” Roy said. “When they travel to play a game, they go and definitely play. That’s their trademark – they are a very physical, direct, running team.”

The Huskies, on the other hand, are more of a finesse, mix-it-up type of club. But they rely on the team concept, which explains their early season success.

“We have a nice mix,” Roy said. “We pass well, we run the give-and-go’s nicely, and we know how to take advantage of all plays during the soccer game. And we also have guys who are able to play the physical game, so we have good chemistry.”

Last year, the Huskies beat Northwestern by a 2-1 mark on two free kicks, but the Wildcats controlled the tempo of the game. Roy believes this year’s Wildcat club has been a bit unfortunate, too. Northwestern has lost several 1-0 games to some top clubs like Akron, Quincy, Cleveland State and Marquette, so the Wildcats’ 3-7 record is not really indicative of their style of play, Roy said.

“They (Northwestern) have a big kid in the goal,” Roy added. “Their midfielder is probably their best player. He had 17 goals last year and our leading scorer had five—if that means anything.”

It’s going to be a battle, but the NIU coach thinks his Huskies are up to the task.

“We have to be ready from the opening play,” Roy said. “I’m glad they are coming to DeKalb for this one.”