DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team returns home on Sunday, March 14, as the Huskies host 15th-ranked Akron in their first home Mid-American Conference match of the season. Kickoff against the Zips is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT. 

NIU opened its league slate last Saturday (March 6) at West Virginia, falling 1-0 despite outshooting the Mountaineers, 11-2. Bjarne Thiesen's 12th minute penalty kick was the lone goal in the contest. 

The Huskies return home to the NIU Soccer Complex for the first time since defeating Chicago State, 10-0, on Feb. 26. Junior Nick Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) leads NIU in scoring with three goals and two assists while his twin brother, Anthony Markanich (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais), is second with two goals and two assists. 

Akron brings a 2-0-1 record to DeKalb and opened conference play with a 2-0 victory over Bowling Green (March 7). The Zips opened the season with a draw against Kentucky and also have an overtime victory against Marshall. Diogo Pacheco has scored a pair of goals to lead Akron in scoring while Will Meyer has played every minute in goal for the Zips, posting a 0.60 goals against average and a .750 save percentage. 

Members of the general public are now welcome to attend NIU home soccer matches with capacity of the NIU Soccer Complex limited to 20 percent, or just under 400 total. The contest will also be streamed live on Huskie All-Access on NIUHuskies.com. Subscriptions are available for $6.95 (24-hour pass), $10.95 (monthly recurring subscription) or $89.95 (annual).