Coming off of a season where men’s soccer went 3-9-5 and 0-4-1 in the MAC, the team will be looking to redeem itself and secure its first winning season since the 2011 year when they went 15-6 and 4-2 in the conference.

It’s been a rough few years for the team, as over the last three seasons they’ve compiled a record of 14-32-9, 2-12-3 MAC.

The Huskies finished the preseason 1-0-2, ending Saturday with a 1-1 tie against Western Illinois.

NIU will begin regular season play against Green Bay at 7 p.m. Friday in DeKalb. The team added 12 freshmen for the year and hopefully they can bring a flare to the team for years to come. A new look could be the very spark men’s soccer needs to create a winning culture from here on out.

Green Bay is also coming off of a tough season, as they went 6-9-3 and have added over 10 new recruits to their roster as well.

Huskies midfielder senior Isaac Kannah will be a player to watch, especially after 2014 when he was named to an All-MAC first team, appeared in all 16 games and lead NIU in goals with four.

For the Phoenix, junior midfielder Audi Jepson will be tough to contain after a season in which he led his team with four goals, nine points, and 22 shots on goal. Jepson even had a stretch where he scored six goals in two games.

The matchup will be interesting considering both teams’ recent struggles. It will also be a chance for fans to get a look at many of both squads’ new recruits.