DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team welcomes St. Thomas (Minn.) to DeKalb on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 4, as the Huskies host the Tommies at the NIU Soccer Complex. Kickoff in the first all-time meeting between the two schools is scheduled for 3 p.m. Fans attending Saturday's match are encouraged to wear red in support of College Colors Day. 

"We are really excited to be home on a Saturday afternoon," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "It is a great opportunity for the NIU community to come out and see an exciting team and we look forward to seeing a lot of people in the stands tomorrow." 

NIU brings a 1-1 record in Saturday's contest. The Huskies opened the season with a 1-0 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne last Thursday (Aug. 26) before falling, 2-0, at Notre Dame on Monday (Aug. 30) despite holding a 57/43 edge in possession. 

"I've been happy with our performances in both games," said Swan. "Against Fort Wayne we had the lion's share of possession and we were a little frustrated about our quality in the final third, I don't think we executed there the way we would have liked to. Against Notre Dame, again I thought we were good on the ball, but we were punished when Notre Dame showed us how to be clinical in the final third. 

We have to take that out of the game, the guys were disappointed and frustrated with the result at Notre Dame, so they are hungry to get out there again."

St. Thomas comes to DeKalb with a 0-3 record after dropping a 3-1 decision at DePaul on Thursday (Sept. 2), George Marty scored the lone goal for St. Thomas in the contest while Tucker Mann made his second appearance in goal. The Tommies are in their first season in Division I after making the leap from Division III and are members of the Summit League. 

"They are very well organized," Swan said of St. Thomas. "They have played in three close games, and they look like a big, physical team and we expect a tough battle. It is nice to see some new faces, a new opponent, and we are looking forward to it."

Following Saturday's contest, the Huskies will head back on the road when they visit Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 3 p.m.

The Panthers opened the season with a 1-0 setback at Xavier (Aug. 27) before having their second game against Milwaukee canceled due to weather. Eastern Illinois is scheduled to host Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday (Sept. 3) prior to hosting the Huskies.