DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team will conclude a five-game homestand this week as the Huskies welcome Bowling Green to the NIU Soccer Complex on Tuesday (Oct. 25) and Akron on Saturday (Oct. 29), both games are scheduled to kickoff at 7 p.m. Saturday night is Senior Night as the Huskies will honor the seven players playing their final season at NIU. 

"The MAC is really tough again this year and there are a lot of teams still in the mix coming into the final few games," said NIU head coach Ryan Swan. "Our focus is obviously on tomorrow night and Bowling Green. They are in good form at the moment, and I expect a tough competition. If we get through that with a positive result, then focus shifts to Akron. We are excited to be at home for both of these games, the guys know the magnitude of them, and I think we are ready for them."

NIU is returning to action for the first time in eight days as its last contest was a 2-0 victory over Chicago State on Oct. 17. Eddie Knight (Frisco, Texas/Lone Star) came off the bench to score both goals in the contest, the first multi-goal game of his NIU career. Enrique Banuelos (Mexico City, Mexico/Virginia) assisted on both of Knight's goals, he now has 13 assists in his Huskie career. Martin Sanchez (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) made three saves in the contest to pickup his fourth shutout of the season. 

The Huskies come into the week with a 5-5-4 overall record and a 2-2-1 mark in Mid-American Conference play. NIU is just four points behind MAC-leading Akron, and three behind second-place Western Michigan, in the race to qualifying for the single-game MAC Championship. 

Bowling Green comes to NIU a point in front of the Huskies with a 2-1-2 conference record, and a 4-4-5 overall mark. The Falcons are unbeaten in their last four matches, which includes a pair of victories over Chicago State and a pair of draws against Akron. Sergi Martinez has 10 points (three goals, four assists) to lead Bowling Green's attack while Brendan Graves has played all 13 matches in goal for the Falcons, posting a 0.54 goals against average and a .825 save percentage. 

Akron enters the week with an 8-2-4 overall record, 3-0-2 in the MAC. The Zips are coming off a 0-0 draw against Bowling Green last time out (Oct. 17) and are unbeaten in their last six matches dating back to a Sept. 28 victory over Duquesne. Akron was ranked 22nd in last week's United Soccer Coaches national poll, with a new poll to be released on Tuesday. Dyson Clapier has a team-high six goals and 16 points for Akron while Mitch Budler has played all 14 matches in goal for the Zips with a 1.14 goals against average and a .704 save percentage. 

Following Saturday's contest, NIU will travel to Bowling Green for the regular season finale on Sunday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.