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.

The 10th annual Alumnae SoccerFest kicked off at noon Saturday at Huskie Soccer Field.

The NIU women’s soccer team defeated the alumni 3-1 and the men’s team topped its elder counterparts 5-1.

Jill Heikkila and Angeline Impelido scored the only first-half goals for either team as the current Huskies led 2-0 at the break.

Freshman Megan Kolkay scored her first goal in a Huskie uniform. Kolkay’s shot into the back-left corner of the net extended the Huskies lead to three.

The alumna ended any thoughts of a shutout when Anna Marinaccio squeaked in a rebound for the score after Allison Wade’s shot was blocked.

The female alumna received no help from the officials, being called for four fouls to NIU’s six. The male alumni, on the other hand, were called for two penalties to NIU’s 19.

Sarah "Willy" Wilkins, who played at NIU from 1995 through ‘98, came back to play because she never lost her passion for the game.

"It’s always good to get out here and see if the team chemistry is still there," Wilkins said.

While the women headed back to the locker room, Steve Simmons jogged onto the Huskie Soccer Field for the first time as the head coach for the NIU men’s soccer team.

"He is extremely intense, has a winning attitude and him being here will make for a great season in my last year," senior Matt Stukenberg said.

The elder and heavier alumni were forced to play two heat-scorching 35-minute halves. The more aggressive style of offense instilled by Simmons, as opposed to the passive offense taught by recent NIU men’s soccer coach Willy Roy, took its toll on the alumni.

Vrahram Kadkhodaian recorded a hat trick with his first goal coming five minutes into the game. Kadkhodaian weaved to his left through three alumni defenders and scored back to the right side of the net on alumni goalkeeper Steve Brody.

Freshman Justin McGrane scored the next pair of goals, putting the Huskies ahead 3-0.

The alumni got on the board with the second penalty kick of the game attempted by Mike Gentile, but it proved to be their lone goal.

Kadkhodaian’s final two goals closed out the scoring and the play of Mike Corvo, Simmons’ lone freshman recruit of the seven that came in, caught the eye of onlookers.

"He’s working hard and is looking good so far," Stukenberg said. "He’ll be a good addition to the team."