NIU_Huskies_men's_soccer
Northern Illinois Huskies men's soccer
American college soccer team
The Northern Illinois Huskies men's soccer team is the college soccer team that represents Northern Illinois University (NIU) in DeKalb, Illinois, United States. The school's team competed in NIU's full-time home of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) through the 2022 season, after which the conference stopped sponsoring men's soccer.[2] NIU moved that sport to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) effective with the 2023 season, joining fellow MAC members Bowling Green and Western Michigan in this move.[3] NIU men's soccer started playing in 1962 and has appeared in the NCAA Tournament four times (1973, 2006, 2011, 2021). The Huskies are coached by Ryan Swan.
| Northern Illinois Huskies men's soccer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1962 | ||
| University | Northern Illinois University | ||
| Head coach | Ryan Swan (6th season) | ||
| Conference | MVC | ||
| Location | DeKalb, Illinois | ||
| Stadium | NIU Soccer Complex (Capacity: 1,500) | ||
| Nickname | Huskies | ||
| Colors | Cardinal and black[1] | ||
| |||
| NCAA Tournament Round of 16 | |||
| 1973 | |||
| NCAA Tournament Round of 32 | |||
| 1973, 2006, 2011, 2021 | |||
| NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
| 1973, 2006, 2011, 2021 | |||
| Conference Tournament championships | |||
| 1989 (BCSC) 2006, 2011, 2021 (MAC) | |||
| Conference Regular Season championships | |||
| 1984 (MMC) 1990 (Mid-Con) 2006, 2021 (MAC) | |||
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Kahler (Independent) (1962–1962) | |||||||||
| 1962 | Bob Kahler | 0–5 | |||||||
| Bob Kahler: | 0–5 | ||||||||
| William Healey (Independent) (1963–1968) | |||||||||
| 1963 | William Healey | 3–4 | |||||||
| 1964 | William Healey | 3–4 | |||||||
| 1965 | William Healey | 0–5 | |||||||
| 1966 | William Healey | 2–3 | |||||||
| 1967 | William Healey | 6–1 | |||||||
| 1968 | William Healey | 8–1 | |||||||
| William Healey: | 22–18 | ||||||||
| Dave Bucher (Independent) (1969–1979) | |||||||||
| 1969 | Dave Bucher | 8–1 | |||||||
| 1970 | Dave Bucher | 6–3–2 | |||||||
| 1971 | Dave Bucher | 7–2–1 | |||||||
| 1972 | Dave Bucher | 3–5–2 | |||||||
| 1973 | Dave Bucher | 7–2–2 | NCAA Round of 16 | ||||||
| 1974 | Dave Bucher | 5–2–3 | |||||||
| 1975 | Dave Bucher | 6–5 | |||||||
| 1976 | Dave Bucher | 7–3–2 | |||||||
| 1977 | Dave Bucher | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1978 | Dave Bucher | 7–2–3 | |||||||
| 1979 | Dave Bucher | 6–7–1 | |||||||
| Dave Bucher: | 69–36–16 | ||||||||
| John LeWang (Independent) (1980–1980) | |||||||||
| 1980 | John LeWang | 5–7–2 | |||||||
| John LeWang: | 5–7–2 | ||||||||
| Jerry Collins (Midwest Metro) (1981–1986) | |||||||||
| 1981 | Jerry Collins | 4–9–2 | 1–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1982 | Jerry Collins | 7–9–1 | 3–1–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1983 | Jerry Collins | 8–7–2 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1984 | Jerry Collins | 13–5–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1985 | Jerry Collins | 8–10–2 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1986 | Jerry Collins | 6–12–1 | 1–3–1 | T–5th | |||||
| Jerry Collins: | 45–52–9 | 17–7–2 | |||||||
| Willy Roy (Big Central) (1987–1989) | |||||||||
| 1987 | Willy Roy | 6–10–2 | 1–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1988 | Willy Roy | 7–10–1 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| 1989 | Willy Roy | 14–4–2 | 4–2 | 3rd | |||||
| Willy Roy (Mid-Con) (1990–1993) | |||||||||
| 1990 | Willy Roy | 13–5–2 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1991 | Willy Roy | 11–5–3 | 5–2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1992 | Willy Roy | 6–9–2 | 3–3–1 | 4th | |||||
| 1993 | Willy Roy | 11–6–2 | 4–2–2 | 4th | |||||
| Willy Roy (MCC) (1994–1996) | |||||||||
| 1994 | Willy Roy | 10–7–1 | 5–3–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1995 | Willy Roy | 7–10–2 | 3–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1996 | Willy Roy | 8–9–1 | 3–4–1 | 4th | |||||
| Willy Roy (MAC) (1997–2002) | |||||||||
| 1997 | Willy Roy | 10–9–1 | 2–4–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1998 | Willy Roy | 12–4–1 | 5–3 | 3rd | |||||
| 1999 | Willy Roy | 12–9 | 3–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 2000 | Willy Roy | 7–9 | 3–3 | 5th | |||||
| 2001 | Willy Roy | 4–12–1 | 1–5 | 7th | |||||
| 2002 | Willy Roy | 4–13–1 | 2–4 | 6th | |||||
| Willy Roy: | 142–131–22 | 50–54–7 | |||||||
| Steve Simmons (MAC) (2003–2008) | |||||||||
| 2003 | Steve Simmons | 3–12–2 | 2–4 | 5th | |||||
| 2004 | Steve Simmons | 12–7 | 4–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2005 | Steve Simmons | 11–6–2 | 4–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 2006 | Steve Simmons | 15–6–1 | 4–1 | 1st | NCAA Round of 32 | ||||
| 2007 | Steve Simmons | 7–9–4 | 1–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 2008 | Steve Simmons | 11–6–4 | 4–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| Steve Simmons: | 59–47–13 | 19–13–2 | |||||||
| Eric Luzzi (MAC) (2009–2016) | |||||||||
| 2009 | Eric Luzzi | 10–8–1 | 3–3 | 4th | |||||
| 2010 | Eric Luzzi | 9–6–2 | 2–4 | 5th | |||||
| 2011 | Eric Luzzi | 15–6 | 4–1 | 2nd | NCAA Round of 32 | ||||
| 2012 | Eric Luzzi | 7–10–3 | 4–2–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2013 | Eric Luzzi | 4–13–1 | 0–5–1 | 7th | |||||
| 2014 | Eric Luzzi | 3–9–5 | 0–4–1 | 6th | |||||
| 2015 | Eric Luzzi | 7–7–1 | 1–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 2016 | Eric Luzzi | 2–10–4 | 1–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| Eric Luzzi: | 57–69–17 | 15–25–5 | |||||||
| Ryan Swan (MAC) (2017–present) | |||||||||
| 2017 | Ryan Swan | 3–11-1 | 0-4-1 | 6th | |||||
| 2018 | Ryan Swan | 8–9-1 | 1-4-0 | 6th | |||||
| 2019 | Ryan Swan | 7–10-1 | 2-3-0 | T-4th | |||||
| 2020-21 | Ryan Swan | 5–8-1 | 4-6-0 | 5th | |||||
| 2021 | Ryan Swan | 15–3-2 | 4-0-2 | 1st | NCAA Round of 32 | ||||
| 2022 | Ryan Swan | 5–8-4 | 2-5-1 | 4th | |||||
| Ryan Swan: | 1–0 | ||||||||
| Total: | 400–365–79 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
- Source: NIU Men's Soccer Record Book[4]
The Huskies have appeared in four NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 3–4.[4]
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result | NIU Head Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Round of 16 | SIU Edwardsville | L 3–0 | Dave Bucher |
| 2006 | First round Second Round | Loyola Chicago (7) Indiana | W 1–0 (OT) L 1–0 | Steve Simmons |
| 2011 | First round Second Round | Western Illinois (2) Creighton | W 3–0 L 3–0 | Eric Luzzi |
| 2021 | First round Second Round | Oaklnd Pittsburgh(5) | W 2–1 L 5–2 | Ryan Swan |
Since 1981, the winner of the annual match between NIU and UW-Milwaukee claims the John LeWang Memorial Cup. The trophy is named in honor of former NIU coach John LeWang, who was killed in a car accident prior to the 1981 season. LeWang came to NIU as head coach in 1980 following his time as an assistant at UW-Milwaukee and died in a car accident after his first season leading the Huskies.[5]
Match results
| NIU victories | Milwaukee victories |
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- Mid-American Conference Tournament:
- Winners (3): 2006, 2011, 2021
- Runners-up (3): 1999, 2008, 2012
- Mid-American Conference Regular Season:
- Winners (2): 2006, 2021
- Runners-up (5): 2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012
- Mid-Continent Conference Regular Season:
- Winners (1): 1990
- Big Central Soccer Conference Tournament:
- Winners (1): 1989
- Midwest Metropolitan Conference Regular Season:
- Winners (1): 1984
- Runners-up (3): 1982, 1983, 1985
All-Americans
NIU men's soccer has had seven players named to All-America teams, including two NCAA First-Team All-Americans.[4]
| Year | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 |  Allan Zelechowski | Sweeper | Honorable Mention |
| 1971 | Edward Kositzki | Forward | Honorable Mention |
| 1974 | Peter Mannos | Goalkeeper | First-Team |
| 1975 | Peter Mannos | Goalkeeper | First-Team |
| 1975 | Paul Wenson | Midfielder | Second-Team |
| 1976 | Mike Strahler | Defender | Honorable Mention |
| 1984 |  Johan Bergseth | Forward | Third-Team |
Academic All-Americans
NIU men's soccer has had a combined 13 players named to CoSIDA and NSCAA Academic All-America teams, including four First-Team Academic All-Americans.[4]
| Year | Player | Position | Organization | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Markus Roy | Goalkeeper | NSCAA | Honorable Mention |
| 1990 | Markus Roy | Goalkeeper | NSCAA | First-Team |
| 1991 | Markus Roy | Goalkeeper | NSCAA | First-Team |
| 1996 | Sigurd Slaastad | Midfielder | CoSIDA | Second-Team |
| 1997 | Sigurd Slaastad | Midfielder | CoSIDA | Second-Team |
| 1998 | Jeff Stojak | Midfielder | CoSIDA | Second-Team |
| 1999 | Jeff Stojak | Midfielder | CoSIDA | First-Team |
| 2000 | Peter Agrimson | Defender | NSCAA | Second-Team |
| 2002 | Peter Agrimson | Defender | NSCAA | Second-Team |
| 2003 | Andy Champion | Defender | CoSIDA | Second-Team |
| 2008 | Kyle Knotek | Midfielder | CoSIDA | Second-Team |
| 2010 | Kyle Knotek | Midfielder | CoSIDA | First-Team |
| 2014 | Dusty Page | Defender | CoSIDA | Second-Team |
Freshman All-Americans
NIU men's soccer has had two players named to College Soccer News All-Freshman teams.[6]
| Year | Player | Position | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Curt Zastrow | Forward | Second-Team |
| 2008 | Brad Horton | Midfielder | Second-Team |
Coaches of the Year
NIU men's soccer has had three head coaches named Coach of the Year by the conference.[4]
| Year | Head Coach | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Willy Roy | Mid-Continent |
| 2004 | Steve Simmons | MAC |
| 2006 | Steve Simmons | MAC |
- "NIU Athletic Marks Standards Guide" (PDF). July 12, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- "MAC to Suspend Sponsoring Men's Soccer Following 2022 Season" (Press release). Mid-American Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
- "Missouri Valley Conference To Expand in Men's Soccer for 2023" (Press release). Missouri Valley Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
