Now’s the time the hard work begins to pay off.

The women’s soccer team hosts Bowling Green (5-2-2) and two-time defending MAC Champion Toledo (5-2) this weekend to open up conference play. The Huskies (4-1-3) square off with the Falcons at 4 p.m. today and take on the Rockets at 1 p.m. Sunday.

NIU is 3-0-1 at the soccer/track complex this year and looks to keep its seven-game home undefeated streak alive against two tough MAC opponents. BGSU leads the league in scoring with 2.44 goals per game, while UT owns a 7-4-1 record over the Huskies, including bumping NIU from the MAC tournament in 2007.

The Huskies won their conference opener 3-2 over the Falcons in 2007 but have not beaten the Rockets since 2003.

“I don’t care what we’ve done in the past,” said NIU head coach Carrie Barker. “It’s what we’re doing in the present for us to prepare for the end of the season.”

NIU leads the MAC with 15.88 shots per game. Senior Thea Johnson leads the pack with nine points on three goals and three assists. Sophomore Becca Ford also has three goals on the season.

The Huskies tied their best eight-game start in team history this season and feel they’re ready for conference play.

“When you come off a non-conference schedule with a record of 4-1-3, we’ve experienced every situation you could possibly experience now in the conference,” Barker said. “We’re definitely experienced, however we’re still learning. The season is just at midpoint. We just need to turn up our gear and finish the season strong.”

NIU is still in the midst of its season and still has some things to work on. Barker stresses how important it is to improve with each game.

“We gave up some goals this past weekend and had mental mistakes and we just can’t do that again,” Barker said. “Being back at home on our surface, we need to come out strong and we can’t have any mistakes.”

As part of a defense that leads the MAC with five shutouts, senior defender/midfielder Jenna Clausen hinted that the Huskies may be seeking revenge in 2008.

“I think we’re ready,” Clausen said. “We’ve been waiting for this game all year and since we lost last year, we’ve always wanted to play them again and show them that we can win.”