Cubs-Cards. Yankees-Red Sox. Duke-North Carolina. While NIU-Buffalo is not of the same magnitude, it’s still a rivalry.

NIU (5-5-1, 0-1-0 MAC) will host Buffalo (5-6-0, 0-1-0) Sunday as the Huskies look for their first MAC victory of the season against their common foe.

“Buffalo is potentially our biggest rival,” said NIU head coach Eric Luzzi. “Obviously Akron is Akron; everybody knows who Akron is, but Buffalo is probably our biggest rival.”

In the all-time series, NIU has a slight advantage 8-7-1 with last year’s MAC Semifinal going to the Huskies 1-0. This season, NIU is 2-3-0 at home and both teams have split the series in DeKalb with three wins a piece.

Sunday will also be a big day for the seniors, as they will be honored, and Luzzi hopes they will do it the right way.

“It’s our senior day,” Luzzi said. “The expectation would be that we come into Sunday’s game with a level of energy that is required to get a result, and to honor the seniors for all that they’ve put into the program.”

The Bulls will be led by junior forward Mike Unwin who heads the UB attack with six goals this season.

“They’re physical, fast, athletic and they attack with numbers,” Luzzi said. “They’re a good team like everybody else on our schedule.”

In 11 matches, UB has scored 15 goals while allowing 19 with a minor advantage in shots 138-137. The Bulls have also given up many opportunities for their opponents, providing 71 corners.

A plethora of chances coming off of the corner could give leading scorers Luis De La Cerda, five goals, and Brad Horton, four goals, an opening to cash in once again.

The Huskies have come up big both on the attack and in the back in 11 matches, scoring 18 goals while giving up only nine.

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