DEKALB – The NIU women's soccer team (3-1-1) will play their first home match in about three weeks as they welcome in the UW-Milwaukee (5-0-1) Panthers Friday night. The Huskies have only played once at home in five matches this season as they played New Mexico State to a 0-0 draw on Aug. 20.
 
NIU went 2-1 on their three-game road stretch with wins at UIC and Green Bay after dropping their match at top-25 ranked Wisconsin. Milwaukee has a current five-match winnings streak after playing to a 0-0 in their regular season opener at Akron.
 
The Huskies have both the reigning Mid-American Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week in Taylor Sarver (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) and Natalia Pena (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates). Sarver scored two goals on the week with the first goal in the 2-1 win at UIC and the second goal in the 3-0 win at Green Bay. Pena scored the overtime winner at UIC, and added an assist in the game at Green Bay in the win.
 
The Panthers have not allowed a goal yet this season with goalkeeper Mallory Geurts making a total of 24 saves in six games. NIU keeper Amy Annala has recorded three clean sheets in five games this season with a current save percentage of .885, goals against average of 0.58 with 23 saves.
 
Both teams have a statistically balanced offensive attack with the Huskies touting eight point scorers and Milwaukee having ten point scorers so far this season.
 
This is the first of back-to-back home matches for NIU as they will welcome in Northern Iowa next Friday. Both Milwaukee and UNI are unbeaten so far on the season with only Milwaukee's draw being the lone blemish on their combined record.