Men’s Soccer – Andrea Bradley

Trick: After taking down the No. 2 team in the nation, the Huskies hosted No. 6 Akron on their home turf. The conference game garnered a lot of campus attention and drew the largest crowd of the season. However, as the two ranked teams battled on the field, NIU lost the contest 4-0 dropping them from the national rankings.

Treat: To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, and the NIU men’s soccer team proved its potential as the team beat then No. 2 SMU at the Tulsa Invitational. The Huskies grabbed a 1-0 overtime win from the Mustangs when freshman Brad Horton put the ball through the pipes. Horton wasn’t named to CSN’s “100 Freshman to Keep an Eye On” list for nothing. His team leading six goals have definitely been a treat for NIU fans. The goal also put the Huskies in the national spotlight as they were ranked No. 24 after the win.

Men’s Rugby – Jerry Burnes

Trick: With a 5-0 record the team was set to make the Midwest Rugby playoffs. But hold on: Northwestern and Loyola appealed the losses to CARFU, citing NIU players not being registered with USA Rugby, and NIU is forced to forfeit both games and forgo the playoffs.

Treat: After a 3-2 season in 2007, the NIU men’s rugby team dominated the Chicago Area Rugby Union, going 5-0, with wins over the defending conference champions Northwestern 25-10 and last year’s second place team Loyola 33-3.

Volleyball – Mike Buda

Trick: Two blown conference matches. Toward the beginning of October, the Huskies had a chance to win two different matches at Eastern Michigan and home against Ball State. Both matches ended in five sets, and in both matches, NIU blew possible victories.

Treat: Freshman power. Allison McGlaughlin and Kristin Hoffman are both big contributors to the Huskies this season. McGlaughlin is second on the team with 268 kills and leads the team with 28 serving aces. Hoffman came in mid-season to be the starting setter and leads the team with 484 assists.

Football – Steve Nitz

Trick: After throwing for 326-yards and two touchdowns in the season opener at Minnesota on Aug. 30, Harnish was hurt in the first quarter of NIU’s next contest at Western Michigan. Harnish would miss the rest of that contest, as well as the next three games.

Treat: After going 2-10 a year ago and being picked to finish last in the MAC West, the NIU football team has surprised a lot of people. The Huskies are 5-3 going into Wednesday’s showdown at Ball State.

The Huskies lead the MAC in both scoring and total defense, allowing only 13.6 points and 267.2-yards per game.

Women’s Soccer – Derrick Smith

Trick: The NIU women’s soccer team’s position in the standings is a trick for this Halloween. The Huskies currently sit in sixth place in the MAC, however, it is not an accurate reflection of their play. While NIU is in the MAC Tournament for the third consecutive year, its conference record of 5-4-2 is nearly identical to its record in 2007. NIU finished in third place in 2007.

Treat: NIU’s team play is a treat for 2008. Eleven Huskies have found the back of the net this year, two of them freshmen. That goes to show the talent of the bench play and that the future is looking promising for NIU.