Looking for any kind of momentum, the NIU men’s soccer team has found it in Western Illinois, a team it has beaten 11 consecutive times.

At 1 p.m. Sunday at Huskie Soccer Field, the Leathernecks (5-3-1) will look to break a losing streak against the Huskies (1-7-2, 1-0 MAC) that dates back to Oct. 3, 1986.

The Huskies have been taking it to their opponents early, holding an 8-5 advantage in goals scored in the first half.

The second half has been the downfall of NIU, which has allowed 13 goals while scoring three in the final 45 minutes.

DePaul’s Luke Rojo and Edwin Arreola could not be stopped by the Huskies on Wednesday, combining for the winning goal with 3:25 left in the game. WIU brings its own offensive firepower in Justin Langon and Nowaf Jaman.

Langon leads the team with 15 points, scoring four goals and tallying seven assists. Jaman has been a force on offense, scoring six goals and recording one assist.

The two players’ goals combined fall one short of NIU’s total on the season, 11.

WIU took then-No. 3 St. Louis (6-1-1) to two overtimes, ending in a 4-4 tie, before losing 1-0 to Bradley in its last contest.

All season, NIU coach Steve Simmons has been stressing to the players what he considers the five major moments in soccer.

“It’s the first five and last five minutes of each half,” Simmons said. “And the five minutes after the game.”

Outside of the Huskies’ loss to the Blue Demons in the last four minutes, NIU also has lost contests to IUPUI, which scored its winning goal with 3:54 remaining in regulation, and Wright State, which scored with 4:55 remaining in the second overtime.

“These guys are still learning,” Simmons said. “But like I told the department when I got here, it’s going to take time.”