DeKALB, Ill. - The IU Indianapolis men's soccer team will open Horizon League play on Wednesday night (Sept. 9) when the Jaguars trek to league newcomer Northern Illinois (3-2) for a 4:00 p.m. CT (5 Eastern) kickoff. The Jaguars enter play on a three-game winning streak while NIU has won two-in-a-row. 

Head coach Keegan Boom's team has reeled off three straight 1-0 wins over Lindenwood, Bowling Green and Southern Indiana and not conceded a score since the season-opening 2-1 defeat at Louisville. In goal, freshman Peter Field has been brilliant with a 0.50 goals against average and three shutouts behind a sturdy back line. Defensively, senior Jago Thompson-Roberts and juniors Jai Dindiyal and Luke Gonda have played all 360 minutes and limited opponents to a combined 15 shots on goal the past three games. 

Offensively, Jose Antonio Herrera has converted three penalty kicks to fuel the offense while freshman Thomas Weinrich has the team's lone score from the run of play. Freshman Santiago Sanchez has continued to be the catalyst, drawing multiple PK opportunities from his midfield spot. 

QUOTABLE
"I'm incredibly proud of the team with tonight's performance. It was 90 minutes of battle in the heat and the guys worked hard for each other. Everyone stepped up when needed and performed their roles very well. A third clean sheet in a row to top off a a third consecutive win gives us confidence going into conference play," Boom said following the 1-0 road win at Southern Indiana last Wednesday. 

UNRANKED
Despite going on the road and earning a win over a previously unbeaten Southern Indiana team last week, the Jaguars dropped from the United Soccer Coaches North Region polls. IU Indy was previously No. 10 in the polls, but dropped from the rankings this week, being replaced by Lindenwood. It marked the second straight week the top nine spots were occupied by Big Ten teams. 
 
AWARDS
Freshman Peter Field was named the #HLMSOC Defensive Player of the Week after back-to-back shutouts over Lindenwood and Bowling Green. Lindenwood entered play as the reigning Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) champs while the win over BGSU was the Jaguars' first victory over the Falcons since 2004. He was also named TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week honorable mention for his efforts and was named to the Unigol Team of the Week. 
 
KNOW YOUR FOE
Northern Illinois is 3-2 to start the season with wins over Butler, UIC and Eastern Illinois. Three different Huskies have tallied two goals on the season as NIU is paced by Vance Sheffield's five points. Tobias Crear and Luka Vasic also enter play with a pair of goals. In goal, Cayden Crawford has a 1.80 goals against average and 21 saves in five appearances. The Huskies are 1-1 at home this season with a win over UIC and a loss to Marquette.  

SERIES HISTORY
IU Indy is 4-3 all-time against NIU and 1-1 in two meetings in DeKalb. NIU defeated the Jaguars 2-1 in Indy last season and won three of the past four meetings between the two programs. 

UP NEXT
The Jags will open a stretch of three straight home matches this weekend when they host Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday (Sept. 12) at 5:00 p.m. at Carroll Stadium on ESPN+.