This week, NIU athletes are taking on some of the best in the nation.

While the football team hosts top 25 ranked Maryland today, the men’s soccer team kicks off the regular season at 5 p.m. Friday against Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Madison, Wisc. The Huskies will finish their business up north with a 2:30 p.m. game Sunday against the University of Wisconsin.

A preseason poll by NSCAA/adidas has WMU ranked No. 18 in the nation, and rightfully so.

The Panthers finished with an overall record of 19-1-1 last year and went undefeated at home, 13-0-0. The Huskies were at their best on the road last year with a record of 3-4-1.

Offense left stranded

Leading the Huskies with six goals last year, junior Bernhard Hagevik may miss up to seven weeks because of a severe ankle sprain.

“My parents will be coming to the country for the first time ever in three weeks,” Hagevik said. “I really want to be able to play for them.”

Fellow Norwegian teammate Thomas Meiner also will be absent from this weekend’s games – and the rest of the season.

“I got an e-mail from him saying he was going to stay home and go to the University of Oslo,” said NIU head coach Steve Simmons. “I sent him an e-mail wishing him the best and to stay in touch.”

Meiner tied for second on the team with three goals last season and continued to play club soccer in Norway this past summer.

Simmons is looking to senior Matt Stukenberg to lead NIU’s offense. The Huskies finished second to last in the MAC last year with 19 goals.

Clerihew named new assistant

After spending three years as Simmons’ assistant coach at Division III Linfield College in Oregon, Ian Clerihew will back up Simmons once again.

“We had talked before about if he were to get the job,” Clerihew said. “It was just a matter of sorting out some logistics.”

Pala lands contract in Turkey

After taking over coaching duties for the NIU men’s soccer team until a replacement was named, Rasih Pala left to train for soccer in Toronto, Ontario.

On June 13, Pala received a telephone call offering him a professional soccer contract to play in Turkey. Pala was on a plane the next day to play for Buyukbehir Belediye Sport in the Turkish second division A League.

Pala spent the next 10 days training in the mountains of Istanbul with his teammates.

The starting goalkeeper position was open when Pala signed with the team, and he was in the running for the starting position.

In its first game of this season, Buyukbehir Belediye Sport lost 1-0 to Kayserispor.