The John Lewang Memorial Cup will be on the line today when the NIU men’s soccer team takes on Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

It won’t be an easy test for the Huskies as the Panthers are ranked 12th in the nation, according to the latest NSCAA coaches poll.

The Lewang Cup honors the memory of former NIU coach John Lewang, who was killed in a car accident before the 1981 season. The Panthers hold the current bragging rights in this intense rivalry as a result of their 4-2 triumph in DeKalb last season.

Assistant coach Karsten Roy said you can throw the records out when these teams meet.

“It’s a pretty important rivalry and the matches are always heated,” Roy said. “As long as our guys come to play, it should be a good game.”

NIU is looking to stop a two-match slide, while the Panthers will try to continue a five-match winning streak. The Huskies record stands at 3-9-0, 1-4 in the MAC, while the Panthers are 10-2-0, 2-0 in the Horizon League.

The Huskies hope today’s match can put an end to their first-half struggles this season. Part of the Huskies’ troubles this season can be attributed to those first-half struggles. They’ve been outscored 10-1 in the first half so far this season.

Roy is hoping the match with their longtime rivals will bring out the best in the Huskies.

“It’s an extra boost for both teams,” Roy said of the Lewang Cup. “We know who they are, they know who we are. It makes for a good matchup.”