Aug. 27, 2015
Green Bay at NIU
Friday, August 28, 2015, 7 p.m.
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DEKALB, Ill. -- The Northern Illinois University men’s soccer team will begin the 2015 regular season on Friday, Aug. 28, as it hosts Green Bay at 7 p.m., at the NIU Soccer Complex.
NIU returns 13 players from a season ago while welcoming 14 newcomers to the roster this season. Beginning his seventh season as head coach at NIU, Eric Luzzi is pleased with the progress his team has made blending so many newcomers into the squad ahead of the season opener.
“I think we are as comfortable as you can be after two-and-a-half weeks,” said Luzzi. “The older guys have done a very good job to bring the young guys along. The young guys have done a good job to buy in to what we are doing and doing what they can to get on the same page. Everybody is working hard and everyone is committed to the group right now.”
The Huskies finished their three-game exhibition slate unbeaten with a win over Lewis and a pair of draws against Wisconsin and Western Illinois. Sophomore Luke Read (Ilford, England/Barking Abbey School) tallied the game-winning goal against Lewis and was on target again in the draw with Western Illinois while freshman Giovanni Pacheco (Pasadena, Texas/Pasadena) found the net in the tie with Wisconsin.
Green Bay finished last season with a 6-9-3 record, 2-5-1 in Horizon League play. Audi Jepson was the leading scorer for Green Bay a season ago with nine goals and four assists, Jepson returns for his junior season in 2015. Dani Alvarado appeared in 15 games in goal for the Phoenix a season ago, posting a 4-7-3 record with four shutouts and 67 saves, Alvarado begins his senior campaign in 2015. Green Bay fell to DePaul, 3-1, last Saturday (Aug. 22) in an exhibition contest.
“They are a good team,” Luzzi said of Green Bay. “They have a new coach (Jeremy Bonomo) who was an assistant at Cincinnati, he has done some good things, he has been around a very good program and I know he will have them organized. They have some athletic pieces that always have the potential to damage you and they have one or two special players, so it will take a very good effort for us to get the result we want tomorrow.”
Following Friday’s opener, the Huskies will travel to South Carolina to take part in the Furman Diadora/Spinx Tournament. NIU will face host Furman on Friday, Sept. 4, at 6:30 p.m., and College of Charleston on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 11 a.m.
