Its bags and suitcases are packed and the NIU men’s soccer team is ready to move into its new home.

As the Huskies prepare for their home opener, the team will be doing so at an all new soccer complex at NIU.

The old field has been revamped to fit the specifications of a Federation International de Football Association (FIFA) 2-Star field. The new turf passed FIFA tests to guarantee its parameters for ball roll, shock absorption and many other properties.

“We’ve had a chance to go on the field a couple times and the players are thrilled to play on that surface,” said NIU head coach Steve Simmons. “We are excited to play on the field, it’s the beginning of a new era for the soccer program.”

The Huskies open their first home game against SIU-Edwardsville at 5 p.m. today in DeKalb. Simmons has high expectations for the team, and hopes to see his mantra of togetherness used on the field.

“A lot of it has to do with the continuing attitude of family and working for each other,” he said. “I think those mantras for us are at the forefront of our game plan.”

The Cougars are currently 1-1 on the season. SIU-E ended their 2007 campaign 11-4-3, and Cougar head coach Kevin Kalish will try to keep the previous success in his first year at the school.

“SIU has some good players,” Simmons said. “They have kids from the St. Louis area, which is a soccer hotbed, so we are going to be up for one heck of a game. But our guys are excited to play on the new field, so it should be quite a good contest.”

The last time NIU met SIU-E in competition was 13 years ago, but the Huskies posted a 4-0 shutout.

On Sunday the Huskies will travel to Peoria to take on No. 17 Bradley (2-0).

Much like NIU, the Braves opened their season with two wins, going on to prevail at the Tiger’s Diadora Tournament in Memphis.

Bradley returns six out of eleven starters to the team, and adds seven newcomers. The Braves look to continue from the success of 2007 where they ended the year 16-6-4, and made a bid for the NCAA Championships. The team saw action into the Elite Eight round.

“Bradley is one of the best coached teams in the country,” Simmons said. “We need to be able to execute on the attacking end so we can put them on their backs. But it’s going to be a great game.”

Huskie defenders will have to keep an eye on Bradley’s Chris Cutshaw, as the forward already leads his team with 3 goals and an assist. But if NIU can challenge the Braves offensively, Simmons thinks his team can come out victorious.

“It’s going to be down to the wire, but the nice thing is that the pool of talent for both teams is from the same area,” he said. “A lot of our guys know their players and have mutual friendships. We are looking forward to playing those guys.”