DeKALB — Mid-American Conference play begins 7 p.m. Friday for women’s soccer, starting with a match against Ohio University at the NIU Soccer and Track and Field Complex.

Friday

The match is the first of a two-game homestead weekend for the Huskies.

In last year’s MAC play opener, NIU lost to University of Buffalo 5-0. In the last five MAC openers, NIU has won four out of the five games.

The Huskies went 1-10 in the conference last season.

The Huskies enter MAC play with a 2-4-1 record, while the Bobcats enter the match with a record of 5-3.

The teams last met Oct. 18 in Athens, Ohio when the Huskies lost 4-0. NIU holds the matchup record for wins at 10-6.

The Huskies are coming off a tough loss after being defeated Sunday by South Dakota State University 3-0.

Junior goalkeeper Megan Donnally had five saves. Head Coach Julie Colhoff said she is looking forward to team preparations before Sunday’s game.

“We have a week of practice,” Colhoff said. “We have to be consistent because conference [games are starting].”

The Bobcats are coming off a brutal 7-0 loss Friday to Georgetown University.

It was their third-straight loss after previously winning five-straight games to start the season.

Sunday

Women’s soccer will be hosting Kent State University in DeKalb.

NIU has a 3-9-3 record against Kent State. The most recent match took place on Oct. 21, 2018, where NIU suffered a 6-0 loss.

Kent State comes into MAC play with a similar record to NIU of 2-4-1, ahead of its match against Western Michigan University on Friday.

The Golden Flashes won their last match against Youngstown State University 4-2 on Sunday.

Kick off is set for 2 p.m.