DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's soccer team and Cleveland State, the two teams tied atop the Horizon League standings, will meet on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 25) at 1 p.m. at the NIU Soccer Complex. 

Due to another event taking place in the Convocation Center, fans attending the match are encouraged to park in Lot PS, directly north of the NIU Soccer Complex (see map).

NIU and Cleveland State enter play this weekend both on 14 points, one point ahead of third place Wright State and just two points in front of fourth place Milwaukee. Oakland and Purdue Fort Wayne sit just three points off the league lead on 11 points. 

The Huskies return to league play this weekend after stepping out of conference action last Saturday, Oct. 17, with a 1-0 setback at Tulsa. NIU is unbeaten in its last four Horizon League games with three wins and a draw, the Huskies are 7-4-2 overall, 4-1-2 in league play. 

Vance Sheffield (West Linn, Ore./La Salle Catholic College Prep) leads NIU with five goals, which includes four game winners. The four game-winning goals are tied for fourth best in the nation. Sheffield was named in the Top Drawer Soccer Midseason Top 100 players in the nation, which was announced on Thursday (Oct. 22), Sheffield was ranked 70th.

Roman Khela (Huddersfield, England) has tallied a team-best six assists, which is tied for 33rd in the country, and fourth among defenders. With 10 points, Khela is the first Huskie defender to reach double figure points since Anthony Markanich tallied 19 in 2021. 

Cleveland State comes to DeKalb with a 6-5-3 overall record, 4-2-2 in league play. The Vikings are coming off a narrow, 3-2 defeat against ninth-ranked Akron on Tuesday night (Oct. 20). Tom Mertz and Domenic Ruggiero are each tied with 15 points, Mertz has four goals and seven assists while Ruggiero has tallied seven goals with one assist. 

Following Sunday's match, the Huskies will hit the road for their final two games of the regular season as they travel to Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday, Oct. 30, and visit Robert Morris on Tuesday, Nov. 3.