DeKalb, Illinois – Northern Illinois University men's soccer's 2024 schedule, highlighted by nine regular season home games and a home exhibition match against 2020-21 national champion Marshall, was announced by the head coach on Tuesday. Ryan SwannThe Huskies will open their campaign on Friday, Aug. 9, with a road exhibition game at Purdue Fort Wayne.
“We are excited to get the 2024 season underway,” Swann said. “We have a very competitive schedule and some great local games, so we can't wait for the Huskies fans to come cheer us on. We have high expectations and motivation for our team, and we're confident we'll be ready to get started in August.”
Following the season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne, NIU will play its first home game of the fall on Tuesday, Aug. 13, when the Huskies welcome Marshall to DeKalb. The Thundering Herd went 18-3 last season, won the Sun Belt and advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
NIU will open the regular season with a visit to St. Thomas (Minn.) on Thursday, Aug. 22. The Huskies will then play three of their next four games at home, starting with their regular season home opener against Chicago State on Sunday, Aug. 25.
A trip to Memphis (Aug. 29) will be followed by back-to-back home games against Green Bay (Sept. 1) and Kansas City (Sept. 6) before opening Missouri Valley Conference play at Bowling Green on Friday, Sept. 13. The Huskies and Falcons met in the conference tournament quarterfinals last season, with NIU picking up a 2-1 road win.
After the league opener, the Huskies will play three consecutive non-conference games before returning to league play. NIU will host Mercyhurst, the first ever meeting between the two schools, on Monday, Sept. 16. The Huskies will then visit Western Illinois (Sept. 20) before hosting Milwaukee on Tuesday, Sept. 24 in the annual Lewang Cup match.
Conference play resumes on Saturday, Sept. 28, when NIU hosts local rival UIC, after which the Huskies will travel to Missouri State on Sunday, Oct. 6, before playing at home against Western Michigan, the defending Missouri Valley regular season and tournament champions, on Saturday, Oct. 12.
NIU will host Evansville for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 19th, before closing out the month with a road trip to Belmont on Friday, Oct. 25th.
In the final two games of the regular season, NIU will host Drake University at home on Friday, Nov. 1, before traveling to Peoria for an in-state matchup against Bradley University on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
