DEKALB, Ill. – A 16-match regular season slate awaits the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team in its inaugural season in the Missouri Valley Conference as head coach Ryan Swan announced the 2023 Huskie men's soccer schedule on Wednesday (June 14).
"I am really excited to get the 2023 season underway and believe we have put together a fantastic schedule to challenge our guys with," said Swan. "Moving to the Missouri Valley Conference sees us facing some new opponents and everyone in the program is relishing this challenge. Adding top non-conference opponents should help prepare us for conference play and will allow Huskie soccer fans to see the team compete against some of the top talent in the country. Our coaching staff can't wait to get everyone back on campus in August."
During the preseason, NIU will play a pair of exhibition games as it travels to Creighton on Saturday, Aug. 12 and hosts Graceland on Saturday, Aug. 19.
The regular season begins with a pair of home contests as the Huskies welcome Western Illinois to DeKalb for the opener on Thursday, Aug. 24, before hosting Memphis on Sunday, Aug. 27. The Tigers won nine matches a season ago and earned a NCAA Tournament bid, this will be the first all-time meeting between NIU and Memphis.
Three of the next four will be on the road for NIU to begin the month of September, starting with a trip to South Bend, Ind., to face Notre Dame on Friday, Sept. 1. Following a home date with Aurora on Labor Day (Sept. 4), the Huskies will visit Northwestern (Friday, Sept. 8) and travel to Milwaukee for the annual Lewang Cup matchup against the Panthers on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
Conference play begins for the Huskies on Saturday, Sept. 16, as NIU hosts the defending MVC regular season and tournament champions, Missouri State. The Bears have won the league regular season crown in each of the past four seasons.
After a trip to Evansville (Saturday, Sept. 23), the Huskies will step back out of conference for a home date with Loyola Chicago (Tuesday, Sept. 26) and a road trip to Marquette (Monday, Oct. 2).
Each of the final six matches of the regular season will be back in league play, beginning with a visit to Drake on Saturday, Oct. 7.
NIU hosts Bradley on Saturday, Oct. 14, before traveling to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a matchup against longtime conference foe Western Michigan on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The Broncos won the Mid-American Conference last season and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies welcome Belmont to DeKalb on Sunday, Oct. 22, in the first meeting between the Huskies and Bruins, before making the short trip to Chicago to take on UIC on Friday, Oct. 27, in the final road game of the season. NIU hosts Bowling Green on Wednesday, Nov. 1, in the final regular season game before the start of The Valley Tournament.
