The NIU women’s soccer team will try to extend its record unbeaten streak to eight games at 4 p.m. today against host Western Michigan.

The Huskies will also try to avenge a 1-0 loss to the Broncos last season.

The Huskies (4-0-3 overall, 1-0-3 MAC) trail WMU (5-2-1 overall, 2-0-1 MAC) in the MAC West standings by one point and can take over the top spot with a victory.

“That’s the big game for us,” NIU coach Frank Horvat said. “They are our rivals this season. They were picked to win it all and they will be ready for us.”

The Broncos are coming off of a double-overtime loss to a Miami-Ohio team that the Huskies tied 1-1 Sept. 17.

After the trip to Kalamazoo, NIU will make the nine-hour trip to Springfield, Mo. to take on Southwest Missouri State (4-2-1) for a non-conference matchup at noon Sunday.

“It’s a long trip,” Horvat said. “It is a lot of driving but we should be ready.”

Horvat said the Huskies have worked to neutralize WMU’s strengths in practice this week.

“Western is a really good team in the air,” he said. “We need to focus on winning the ball in the air and get possession and get out of our end.

“We are just going to have to work as hard if not harder than Western Michigan.”

SMU is on an undefeated streak of its own. The Bears are 3-0-1 in their last four games and have allowed only one goal during that span.

Sunday’s matchup between the Huskies and SMU will be their first since 2002 when NIU was shut out 1-0.