DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team will step back out of conference play on Tuesday night, October 16, as the Huskies host Drake. Kickoff between the Huskies and Bulldogs is scheduled for 7 p.m., at the NIU Soccer Complex. 

Tuesday night is Fitness Night with a pre-match workout on the north lawn near the scoreboard beginning 30 minutes before the match.

"On one hand, every conference game that we play makes us better, they give the guys more experience and they have learned from those experiences in those games, so on the one hand I would like to be back in conference (play)," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "But on the other (hand), it is a good chance to reset and focus on some of the things we need to improve upon, so having a non-conference game does, in some ways, allow us to do that."

The Huskies are coming off of their second consecutive overtime setback in conference play on Saturday night (Oct. 13), dropping a 2-1 decision at home against Bowling Green. Junior Jan Maertins (Rheinfelden, Germany/Marquette) scored his fourth goal of the season against the Falcons, tallying in the 58th minute. 

The goal gave Maertins the NIU team lead for points with 11, tied for sixth-best in the Mid-American Conference. Freshman Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) continues to lead the Huskies in goals with five, which is tied for fourth in the MAC while senior Kevin Rodriguez (Pasadena, Texas/Deer Park) is second in the conference with seven assists. 

Tuesday's game is NIU's final non-conference home game, the Huskies will conclude their non-conference next Tuesday (Oct. 23) at Loyola-Chicago. 

Drake brings a 6-4-1 record into Tuesday's contest after falling at Evansville, 2-1, Evansville on Saturday evening (Oct. 13). Leroy Enzugusi leads the Bulldogs with six goals and 13 points while Jared Brown has played nearly every minute in goal, posting a 0.98 goals against average and a .831 save percentage.

"I think there is going to be a lot of similarities between Drake and Bowling Green, so I think it will almost be a second bite at the cherry with a team like that," said Swan. "They have had a great start to the season, (they are) very dangerous from set pieces, so it will be a good challenge. Squeezing this in between conference games, for both of us, it will be interesting to see how both team respond to that.
 
"This is another opportunity, I think some different guys showed well today in training. I know they are hungry and ready to get on the field, so hopefully we will get to see a few more faces. Guys are fighting for the chance to get into the starting lineup, after losing a couple of games guys are ready to step in and help us out. I think tomorrow could be a good opportunity to see a few more players on the field."

Following Tuesday's match, NIU will conclude its three-game homestand on Saturday night, October 20, as it hosts Akron. Game time against the Zips is slated for 7 p.m.