DeKalb | Women’s soccer looks to continue its run as the top team in the MAC West Division with a matchup against the top team in the MAC East Division.

The Huskies (5-6-1, 3-0-1 MAC) will host the Buffalo Bulls 7 p.m. Friday at the Soccer and Track & Field Complex before hitting the road to face the Akron Zips 11 a.m. Sunday in Akron, Ohio.

The Huskies are coming off a stretch of four games with no losses, which is the best start to MAC play the team has had, but they’ll have to go through one of the MAC’s other surprise teams in Buffalo.

Buffalo

The Bulls are riding a four-game win streak, during which they’ve only allowed one goal. Their defense has been solid all season. They’re tied for the conference lead in shutouts at eight.

Senior Gwen Sabo said the clash between the MAC’s top two teams should show if NIU will be able to maintain its high level of play.

“They’re 4-0, so they probably have a huge head of steam coming into this,” Sabo said. “But we are, as well. We’re the two undefeated teams, so both of us are going to be ready for Friday. This would clearly put us on top. We know a win Friday would put us on top and separate us and be huge overall.”

Buffalo senior Katie Roberts is one of the conference’s top strikers and will put NIU’s defense on watch. Roberts has seven goals and two assists, but she isn’t the only offensive threat on the Bulls’ roster: Freshman Julia Benati has three goals and three assists.

Akron

The Zips have been inconsistent in conference matches. They’re coming off a tough overtime loss to cellar dwellers Bowling Green, but that doesn’t mean the trip won’t be without its own challenges.

Akron — much like the Huskies — has a tendency to hang around in close contests. NIU will need to manufacture its offense quickly. While the Huskies have lived and died on timely goals, so has Akron. The offense will need to click to keep the Zips out of the game.

Junior Maggie Renfro said the offense has a lot of confidence heading into the home and road slate.

“It was great to get three goals,” Renfro said. “We scored on Friday against Kent State and they only had seven goals against them the whole season, so that was great for us. Then a two-goal win [Sunday] against Ohio just gave everyone on the field confidence, just feeling good heading into Friday.”

With all the injuries on the team, the Huskies will rely on their depth, which is something that’s carried them the last few games. All the goals scored in NIU’s last homestand came from bench players.

Head coach John Ross said the team can provide the depth to help offset the large amount of injuries.

“Everybody is able to play and have quality minutes for us,” Ross said. “I think it’s something that we’ve been dealing with since day one. We’ve had quite a few injuries. This is the most I’ve ever had in my 15 years of coaching in college, but the players have handled it really well. They know how to deal with it now.”