DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team will host a pair of matches this week as the Huskies welcome Milwaukee to DeKalb on Tuesday night, Sept. 24, for their annual clash for the Lewang Cup. NIU will then resume Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 28, when it hosts local rival UIC.
Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. and admission to Huskie soccer matches is free of charge. Tuesday's game is a blackout, as fans are encouraged to wear black to the match.
NIU and Milwaukee have met in every season since 1975, with the exception of the COVID spring campaign in 2021. Since 1981, the two programs have played for the Lewang Cup. The trophy is named in honor of former Milwaukee assistant and NIU head coach John Lewang, who came to NIU as head coach in 1980 following his time as an assistant at Milwaukee. Lewang died in a car accident after his first season leading the Huskies and the two programs have honored his memory with the trophy game ever since.
The Huskies will be looking to reclaim the Lewang Cup this year after falling to the Panthers in Milwaukee, 3-2, a season ago. NIU had held the trophy since 2018 prior to losing it last year.
NIU is looking to rebound from a 4-0 setback at Western Illinois last Friday (Sept. 20).
Kevin Kelly (Dublin, Ireland/St. Joseph Rush) and
Jose Gomez (Roatan, Honduras/Clarke University) are tied for the team lead with five points, Kelly has two goals and one assist while Gomez has one goal and three assists.
Milwaukee brings a 2-1-3 record into Tuesday's contest after playing to a 3-3 draw with Wright State on Saturday (Sept. 21). Alejandro Martinez leads the Panthers with five goals and 11 points while Daniel Ibarra has started five matches in goal and has a 1.00 goals against average and a .783 save percentage.
Tuesday's match with Milwaukee will be the final non-conference contest of the season for NIU, the Huskies will return to conference play on Saturday against UIC.
The Flames are 4-4-0 this season after opening Missouri Valley Conference play with a 3-1 home setback to Missouri State on Saturday (Sept. 21). Rui Reis has three goals and four assists to lead UIC offensively.
Following this week's home games, NIU will return to the road on Sunday, Oct. 6, at Missouri State.
