With four games remaining, the NIU men’s soccer team is aiming to eclipse the four wins it had a year ago.

The Huskies, who need to win three of their last four games to top last season’s win total, will play a 7:30 p.m. game today at Akron (9-3-1, 4-0-0) and head straight to Michigan for a 2 p.m. match Sunday against Western Michigan (9-4-0, 2-1-0 MAC).

Losing eight of their nine meetings against Akron, the Huskies (2-9-2, 1-1-0) also have lost seven straight to the Zips since joining the MAC in 1997. AU, the No. 10 team in the nation according to National Soccer Coaches Athletic Association/Adidas poll, was also the preseason pick to win the MAC.

AU has been hot lately, posting a shutout against IUPUI – a team NIU was leading 3-0 at halftime before losing 4-3. The Zips’ defense hasn’t allowed a shot on goal in either of its last two games.

Meanwhile, WMU began the season with eight straight wins, but has since lost two in a row, won three and lost two more.

WMU has surprised many teams after posting only three wins last fall on its way to a record of 3-14-2.

However, NIU holds a 10-4-1 all-time advantage against WMU, including a 1-0 win last season in DeKalb.

After this weekend, NIU’s final two games of the season are home games against MAC opponents Kentucky and Buffalo.

“I expected our record to be a lot better this year,” Huskies senior Tony Deldin said. “But we’ve lost some close games to some good teams.”