It’s been pretty clear that things haven’t been going NIU’s way, as men’s soccer has been struggling to find goals, though playing very well against opponents.

Now the Huskies (0-2-2) turn to the road as they head to Evansville, Ill. for the Northwestern Lakeside Classic.

Friday, the Huskies take on UW Milwaukee (3-2-0) for the annual battle of the LeWang Cup. The added incentive of a cup match may be that something NIU needs as it is still looking for its first win of the season.

“They’re off to a decent start,” said coach Eric Luzzi. “They got a new coach, so there will be a decent energy about their game, [Milwaukee is] just generally a solid team.”

Sophomore mid-fielder Jayson LeSeth played in last year’s cup game and knows what his team is up against.

“Its definitely going to be a huge game,” LeSeth said. “The LeWang Cup is def something we want back here, especially when we probably should have won that game last year. I think they will come out try and be physical with us but I think we can handle it and get the result.

Luzzi wants to make sure his team is up to the challenge as well.

“The big thing for us is we have to bring a little bit of edge to the game,” Luzzi said. “We need to make sure we feel they stole our trophy last year.”

The Huskies will then look ahead to their second game against Iona College (1-4-0). Coming off a loss to South Florida, the Gaels will look to bounce back in their first game against Northwestern before taking on the Huskies.

Luzzi has been cautioning his team to not pay attention to the opponents record.

“They’re quite good,” Luzzi said. “Their record indicates nothing about how they really are. They have good players, a technical group, so it will be a tough game as well.”