Oct. 21, 2008

DeKALB - For the second time this season, the Northern Illinois men's soccer team will try to knock off the No. 2 team in the nation when it faces second-ranked Northwestern, Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Evanston, Ill.

NIU will be looking for the same result as their Sept. 19 match against then-No. 2 SMU, in which the Huskies pulled off 1-0 upset in overtime. Northern Illinois head coach Steve Simmons said he and his team are looking forward to one of the toughest challenges of the season when they face the 10-0-2 Wildcats.

"Make no mistake, they are a very difficult team to play against at their place," Simmons said.

While the Huskies (7-2-4, 2-1-1 Mid-American Conference) hold a distinct 16-6-3 advantage all-time against the currently unbeaten Wildcats, the match-ups between the teams in each of the last three seasons have been decided by just one goal. Last year, Northern Illinois upset the Wildcats, then ranked ninth in the nation, 2-1.

"The last couple times we've played, they've been very close affairs," Simmons said, crediting the resurgence of Northwestern men's soccer, a program that didn't win a match in 2000, to its head coach.

"In addition to very good players, they may have, right now, one of the best coaches in the country in Tim Lenahan," Simmons said.

Lenahan's Wildcats lead the nation with only three goals allowed, and have scored 20 this season.

"He gets those boys on the same page," Simmons said. "They are motivated to play and the results and the stastitics are a reflection of that."

But Northern Illinois is no stranger to competing with the top teams in the country. In the last two seasons, the Huskies have played on equal footing with teams ranked in the top-10, recording a 2-2-1 record.

"I don't schedule these teams to get beat," Simmons said. "We believe we can compete with the best teams in the country. We prepare every day for teams like SMU, Northwestern and Duke, all teams on the schedule this year."

The Huskies have had plenty of opportunity to prepare for Northwestern, and vice versa. NIU won the Wildcats' Lakeside Classic tournament to open the season, and Northwestern returned the favor two weeks later, taking the NIU/adidas Invitational title.

"We have the opportunity to be at each other's tournament for the last three years," Simmon said. "We had a chance see them a couple times early at their tournament and a couple more times at our tournament."

With the scouting done well in advance, Wednesday's match-up could come down to players making plays. In scoring, NIU and Northwestern have relied on entirely opposite approaches this season. Freshman Brad Horton (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) leads Northern Illinois with five goals, but is one of 12 Huskies to have found the back of the net this year.

While NIU's offensive approach has been a socialist system of spreading the wealth, Northwestern's attack has been based on trickle-down economics, with success of one man carrying the team. In the Wildcats' case, that man has been forward Matt Eliason. The sophomore has scored 11 goals this season, including six game-winners.

Both squads will likely start veterans in goal. For NIU, three-year starter Joe Zimka will man the pipes. The senior ranks second in Northern Illinois history in career shutouts with 19, and set an NCAA record in 2006 by achieving a goals allowed average of just 0.21. Northwestern keeper Misha Rosenthal is looking to challenge that mark this year. Currently, Rosenthal's goals allowed average is at 0.24, and the redshirt junior has tallied nine shutouts this year alone.

After the Huskies take on the Wildcats, they return home and to MAC play to host Bowling Green, Saturday at noon.