It’s not a matter of whether the NIU men’s soccer team stacks up the defense to prevent another four-goal second-half eruption. According to NIU coach Steve Simmons, it’s about the players doing their job.

The Huskies (0-4-2) will be in search of their first victory of the season when they play at 7 p.m. today at Loyola-Chicago. NIU will return home for a 2:30 p.m. showdown Sunday against Wright State (3-1-0).

The Ramblers (4-2-2) attended this weekend’s four-team NIU Fall Invitational, but did not play NIU. Against a mutual opponent, Oneonta State, Loyola also took a three-goal lead into halftime on Sunday, but was able to hold on for the win, unlike the Huskies.

Simmons believes if NIU would’ve played defense like it did against Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wisconsin, the Huskies could’ve beat IUPUI Sunday.

“We would’ve locked the game up easily,” Simmons said.

The players took a long look at the film from the IUPUI game this week and noted what went wrong.

“Some of the obvious things came out in film,” Simmons said. “The team looks as if they’re ready to be challenged.”

The Ramblers will be a challenge for NIU, as they are unbeaten in their last four games and have defeated NIU the past two seasons.

The Huskies hold a 12-3-1 edge all-time over Loyola. However, seniors Jason Sullivan (knee) and Matt Stukenberg (ankle) still are nursing injuries. Even though both will play this weekend, neither will be at full strength.

Senior Bernhard Hagevik, the Huskies leading goal scorer last season, will be back from a sprained ankle, but will see limited playing time.

“We’ll give him some minutes to get his feet wet,” Simmons said. “But we want to bring him back slowly.”

NIU will also face Wright State, who lost its first game of the season against Western Illinois, but has won three straight since.

“Learning to lock up a game is part of the growth process,” Simmons said. “These guys are still learning, but are challenging themselves in practice to get better.”