The NIU men’s soccer team will take on Marquette University at 5 p.m. this afternoon at the Huskie Soccer Complex.

It will be the fourth and final Wisconsin team that the Huskies will face this season. NIU has gone (0-2-1) against the three previous teams from the dairy state.

“We have played three top notch teams from Wisconsin,” said head coach Willy Roy. “If we play with the same intensity and finish a little better, then we should do fine against Marquette.”

Marquette is entering the contest with a 3-0-0 record, while the Huskies are at a misleading 1-2-1.

Although Marquette is always recognized as a tough win Roy said, “I would be very disappointed if we don’t get a win tomorrow”.

The Huskies will play their second home game of the season after taking two road games on the chin last weekend.

“It’s good to be home in your own environment in front of the home crowd, so we’re happy to be back at home for a couple of games,” said Roy.

This past weekend at the University of Milwaukee soccer tournament the Huskies suffered two heartbreaking losses to two very good teams.

The first loss came in the form of a 3-1 nipping at the hands of the host school UWM, ranked 22nd nationally. The Huskies gave the second game up to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, ranked 10th in the nation.

“It was a 1-0 defeat that we should have won,” Roy said.

Although the Huskies were the recognized underdog in both games at the tournament Roy said, “after we were beaten the teams reacted as if they had upset us, instead of us going in to upset them. I hope are guys recognized that and build on it.”

Roy said of their scoring difficulties at the tournament, “that the main thing that cost us is that we didn’t have any one individual step up on the offensive end of the field and take advantage of numerous scoring opportunities.”

The Huskies, who are themselves the 10th ranked team in the Midwest having already having faced two nationally ranked teams, have a legitimate chance this season to finish in the upper half of the Midwest rankings.

“(For this to happen we need) to improve our play and we need the upperclassmen, Jay Konrad, Andy Niepomnik, and Mike Defort to step up, grab the Huskie by the tail and provide some leadership for this team,” Roy said.

This upcoming weekend at the Eastern Illinois Panther Invitational, the Huskies will have the opportunity to play two more of the best that college soccer has to offer in Creighton, ranked third nationally and the number nine team in the nation, SMU.