The NIU lacrosse club earned two victories last weekend and upped its season mark to 4-0.

On Saturday, the Huskies defeated Wheaton College by a count of 8-7, and on Sunday, they beat their self-proclaimed arch rivals the University of Illinois 3-2 at Champaign.

Saturday’s game was a back-and-forth affair with each team having the lead numerous times. Former Ivy League great Tim Becker paced the attack with three goals. Midfielder Bill Polasky sized up the Wheaton match.

“They were very physical. They were not going to just roll over and die,” said Polasky.

The team played a hard fought match against the Illini on Sunday. The Huskies tied the match at 2-2 heading into the fourth quarter on goals by Rich Fantozzi and Jim Long. Once again it was Becker shining on offense. He netted the game winner at 7:18 of the final quarter. Defense and goaltending took over the rest of the way. Goalie Rob Jawor had 23 saves and NIU gave the Illini a different defensive look.

“Illinois is used to a man-to-man defense, and we switched to a zone defense,” said coach and player Marshall Kite. “They began trying a lot of outside shots which is a sign that they were getting frustrated.”

The team now gets ready for a three-game weekend. NIU travels to Chicago to take on the Lincoln Park men’s club team on Saturday. The team then returns home for two Sunday matches against the University of Iowa at 12:30 p.m. and a club team from Rockford at 3:00.