After two games in a week where the NIU soccer team not only failed to win but also to score, the team will be relieved to travel to DePaul this afternoon.

The Huskies have a 6-0-1 lifetime record against the Blue Demons. Their last meeting came last year in the last game of the season for NIU when the Huskies defeated the Blue Demons 3-1 at home on a pair of John Lechner goals and one by Karsten Roy.

Coach Willy Roy will be anxious to get the game going after working extra on shooting drills this week in practice. Some of the players have been staying after practice to try and break out of the scoring slump that has infected the young season.

While DePaul may not be of the same caliber of St. Louis and Illinois State, who have handed NIU its two losses, the Blue Demons do come in at 2-1. Their lone loss came in overtime while the two victories were both shutouts.

The NIU defense will have its hands full with Kevin Jennings, who has three goals, and Klaus Lundy who has scored in all three contests for the Blue Demons.

This should be the game to break NIU out of its slight slump and start them rolling on the season.

Although the Huskies have yet to lose to DePaul, Coach Roy is wary about getting too confident. “They tied us here (at DePaul’s Wish Field) in 1988 when we had a very good team,” he said. The two teams played to a scoreless overtime tie.

Roy does not want to change much going into this game even though they have yet to put a goal on the board this season. He feels that his team is not scoring because of a mental block.

“We are a changed team,” Roy stated. Although the 1992 team does not have the leadership of teams of the past, Roy said there is a “merging leadership” with his young team. “I just hope it comes along soon,” he added.