DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team will play its final non-conference game on Tuesday night, October 8, as the Huskies host Eastern Illinois. Kickoff between the Huskies and Panthers is set for 6 p.m. and admission for all NIU soccer matches is free of charge. 

Tuesday's match is Diversity and Inclusion Night and a pregame tailgate will be hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Greek Life beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thundersticks will also be given away to the first 50 in attendance. 

NIU (4-6-1) is coming off a setback on Saturday night (Oct. 5) at home against 10th-ranked Saint Mary's (Calif.); redshirt freshman goalkeeper Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) made four saves against the Gaels as the Huskies suffered their first home loss of the season. 

Sophomore Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) is currently tied for fourth in the MAC with four goals and ranks seventh with seven points. Senior Christian Molina (Katy, Texas/Mayde Creek) is tied for seventh in the MAC with three assists

Eastern Illinois brings a 4-5-1 record to DeKalb for Tuesday night's contest after falling to Oral Roberts on Saturday (Oct. 5), 2-0. Shady Omar leads the Panthers in scoring with two goals, Omar and Cameron Behm are tied for the team lead in points with five. Jonathan Burke has appeared in nine matches in goal for the Panthers, recording a 1.55 goals against average and a .750 save percentage. 

Last season, the Huskies beat the Panthers in Charleston, 2-0 (Sept. 20, 2018), sophomore Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) and Nick Markanich both scored for NIU in the victory. 

Following Tuesday night's contest, the Huskies will open Mid-American Conference play on Saturday afternoon, October 12, when the host SIU Edwardsville. Kickoff against the Cougars is scheduled for 2 p.m.