They have as many wins this season as the past three seasons combined.

However, the NIU men’s soccer team fell short of its goal to win the MAC regular-season title in Sunday’s loss to Akron.

But before the MAC tournament begins, the Huskies (11-6 overall, 4-2 MAC) have a 3 p.m. date today with DePaul at Huskie Soccer Field.

“It gives us a chance to give some guys minutes,” NIU men’s soccer coach Steve Simmons said. “But at the end of the day, the DePaul game has big intra-Chicago recruiting implications.”

Recruiting has been what has helped NIU turn around a 3-13-2 record from last season.

Freshmen Frasher Gibson, from Scotland, and North Freedom, Wisc. native Curt Zastrow lead NIU with seven and five goals, respectively.

The team’s goal output of 30 this year is close to the Huskies’ 35 goals scored over the past two seasons.

“I knew I was recruited here to score goals,” Zastrow said, “but I didn’t think I’d do so well. The defense has played well and has given the offense its opportunities.”

NIU’s defense has complemented its offense, giving up one goal per game in its 17 matches. This matches the best showing by a Huskies defense since 1989 when NIU gave up 0.90 goals per game, or 18 goals in 20 games.

Zastrow also said NIU’s quick improvement over last year can be attributed to the team not wasting time conditioning in the fall by working hard over the summer.

However, after four seasons of sub-.500 soccer, NIU has started as many as seven freshmen and sophomores and has now lost two in a row after taking 10 of 11.

“They’re going to get it together,” said NIU graduate assistant Matt Stukenberg, who suffered through the past four seasons where NIU won a combined 18 games. “The major difference in this team than the past ones is confidence. Everyone is playing together, and that confidence has a huge impact on their game.”

Simmons said he wants NIU to end on a good note in order to get ready for the tournament.

“Against DePaul we have to play our hearts out,” Simmons said.

After the DePaul game, the Huskies have eight days to prepare for the first round of the MAC tournament, which begins on Nov. 5 at tourney host Western Michigan.

If WMU beats Buffalo on Friday, NIU will be the No. 2 seed and play No. 7 Bowling Green, which it beat Oct. 8. A WMU loss would give NIU the No. 3 seed, and the Huskies would play No. 6 Buffalo, which they beat 3-0 on Oct. 17.

The winner of the MAC tourney gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament that consists of 48 teams. Last season, WMU won the MAC tourney and lost in the first round of the NCAA, but Akron and Kentucky received at-large bids and made it to the second round.