DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team will close its 2019 spring slate on Friday evening, April 26, as the Huskies meet DeKalb County United in a local "derby" at 7 p.m., at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Tickets are available now for $5 at dkcunited.com.
Beginning its second season in 2019, DeKalb County United is an adult semi-professional soccer club that competes in the United Premier Soccer League. DKCU plays its home matches at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex and will open league play on May 4 against the Cedar Rapids Inferno.
The match, which will be the first between NIU and the second-year semi-pro club, is a chance for both to celebrate soccer in the local community.
"I think there has been a good relationship between us and DeKalb County United since the beginning of their club and this (match) is a natural progression," said NIU head coach
Ryan Swan. "I said last week that we are passing the soccer baton from our (spring) season coming to an end and their season starting. (DeKalb County United) has done a great job promoting the game of soccer, getting the community involved and this will be a fun evening for everyone involved."
Friday's contest will be the final game of NIU's five-match spring schedule and Swan hopes that it will be the first of many matches between NIU and DKCU.
"I hope this becomes an annual thing," said Swan. "They have done a great job bringing in some local talent as well as guys from a little further afield. I think we will always have a working relationship between the two programs, but hopefully this becomes a little bit of a rivalry as well, something we can build towards and that people can get excited about. The spring season can be a challenge at times, so having a game with a little bit of meaning to it is a great thing."
Coming off an eight-win campaign in the fall that included a 2-1 victory over national runner-up Akron, the Huskies are unbeaten this spring, posting a 3-0-1 mark in four matches against local college opposition. Heading into Friday's final contest of the spring, Swan hopes his team will continue to build upon the progression it has already made.
"There have been some real good performances (this spring)," said Swan. "If you compare it to last year, it's not exactly apples to apples, but we lost to Quincy last year here at home, and (this year) we went down there and beat them 4-1, so I think there has been improvements since last year. Certain things that we have been working on throughout the spring have shown signs of fruition and we will be looking for more of those things on Friday night.
"We talked at training today about it being our final week, so as we head towards the fall this is their last chance to get out in front of the coaching staff and fight for places for the fall. For us, we will be looking for that progression, but I think it will be a fun evening, and hopefully some good soccer played as well."
