DeKALB | A win and they’re in.

The NIU men’s soccer team can clinch a spot in the MAC tournament with a victory over Bowling Green Saturday.

With just two matches to play in the regular season, both being MAC games, the Huskies find themselves in contention for the final spot for the MAC tournament. A win against the fifth-placed Falcons would ensure that spot.

“It’s huge obviously, but our most immediate goal is to get into the MAC tournament with an ultimate goal of getting into the NCAA tournament,” said NIU head coach Eric Luzzi. “We certainly can’t afford a loss for either of those two goals.”

NIU is 13-8-0 all time against BGSU, with two of those triumphs coming last season.

The Huskies (9-6-1, 2-2-0) have won three in a row and four of their last five matches, but the team knows that this ride might not last.

“One mistake, one bad performance, one off day and then your confidence is back down again,” Luzzi said. “I think our guys also know that the only reason why we’re getting the results that we are is because of our work rate and our energy.”

NIU has been led this season by senior midfielder Luis De La Cerda, senior defender Josh Karsten and sophomore midfielder Brad Horton, who each have five goals.

Throughout the season, the Huskies have not leaned on just these three, as they have received contributions from all over the pitch.

One difference-maker could be junior forward Juan Hoyos, who has two game winners this year including the late game changer against Wisconsin.

BGSU (2-10-3, 1-2-1) has only won one match in its previous 14, but has been playing better as of late. Last weekend, the Falcons grabbed a draw with Hartwick, which beat NIU earlier this season.

“They’re a better team than their record indicates,” Luzzi said. “They’ve had a few different starting lineups, so they’ll be a little bit tricky because they’ve played a lot of different guys in different slots.”

Bowling Green is at -22 in goal differential with 16 goals for and 38 goals against.

One bright spot has been that of the play by senior midfielder Cameron Hepple. The Bahamas native has racked up seven goals in nine games with one assist.

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