The NIU men’s soccer team begins play today at the Mike Berticelli Tournament in South Bend, Ind.

The Huskies have two matches this weekend against some familiar foes, both ranked in the top 10 in the nation, and are seeking revenge against one of those opponents.

The Huskies take on No. 4 Indiana today at 5 p.m. and No. 9 Notre Dame Sunday at 2 p.m.

NIU will try to avenge last season’s loss to the Hoosiers, which came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, eliminating the Huskies and ending their season.

“Everyone’s psyched up [for the Indiana match],” said junior midfielder Drew Jeskey. “Everyone’s talking about it.”

The Huskies faced the Fighting Irish last year as well, playing to a 0-0 tie in a game Jeskey said could have gone either way.

The Hoosiers and the Irish prove to be two of the best teams on the Huskies’ schedule.

“These are probably two of our toughest games we’re going to have all year,” said senior defender Chris Rufa. “It’s going be a Final Four-type weekend. We’re just really excited.”

Coach Steve Simmons is treating these games just like any others.

“Obviously, when you face two top 10 teams, it’s going to reveal a lot about our players,” he said. “We want to be in scenarios where we can compete and see where we measure up.”

The Huskies know what they’re going up against this weekend. Both Indiana and Notre Dame beat No. 1 UCLA last weekend at the Adidas/IU Credit Union Hoosier Classic.

“Indiana just is an all-star team,” Simmons said. “They’ve got guys that are future pros; guys that are fast, quick, technical. They’re very, very good; very committed. There’s a lot of things that we’re going to be tested on.”

Coming out of this weekend with two wins or one win and one tie could set the tone for the rest of the Huskies’ season and skyrocket their confidence.

“It’ll give us the confidence to know we can play with any team out there,” Rufa said. “Getting a couple wins under our belt and experienced games of top-10-type teams will just give us confidence to know no matter who it is we’re playing, we always are in the game. We always have a chance to win.”

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