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NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF NEWS
Premier Media Group | National Soccer Network and affiliates
BUSINESS LINE: (248) 525-2349
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @MiSoccerNetwork, @NatSoccerTV
DEKALB, Ill. – Northern Illinois University announced this week that the NCAA Division I institution will move its non-football programs to the Horizon League in 2026, pending a Board of Trustees vote on Thursday.
The conference switch follows a recent announcement that NIU would be joining the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member school for the 2026-27 school year. Currently, Northern Illinois University had competed in most sports in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) dating back to 1997.
The school has agreed to maintain affiliate membership with the MAC for gymnastics and wrestling, as the Horizon League does not sponsor those two sports in terms of a league schedule and conference championship tournament.
Overall, NIU will compete in the Horizon League in 14 sports, including men's and women's basketball, volleyball, soccer, track and field, tennis, golf, baseball, and softball.
In terms of soccer, NIU’s women’s soccer team has played in the MAC for several years, while the Huskies’ men’s soccer program competed in the MAC through the 2023 campaign. Since the MAC no longer sponsored men’s soccer as a league sport following the 2023 season due to waning numbers, NIU competed in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in the fall 2024 season along with three other MAC schools.
Northern Illinois University’s men’s soccer team posted a major rebuilding season in 2024, finishing just 3-12-1 overall and 1-6-1 in the MVC. The Huskies only recorded two shutouts and were outscored 45-20 last fall.
There are currently 10 member schools in the Horizon League that offer men’s soccer – Oakland University, Cleveland State University, Northern Kentucky University, Wright State University, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Robert Morris University, University of Purdue-Fort Wayne, University of Detroit-Mercy, Indiana University-Indianapolis and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Oakland won the regular season championship in both 2023 and 2024, while Robert Morris captured the Horizon League Championship Tournament title last November.
Northern Illinois women’s soccer program finished a respectable 9-5-5 overall last season, including 3-4-4 in the MAC. The Huskies recorded five shutouts and outscored the opposition 29-22 despite being shut out six times during the 2024 campaign.
There are 11 current members of the Horizon League that offer women’s soccer, including the aforementioned 10 schools along with Youngstown State University. Milwaukee captured both the regular season and Horizon League Championship Tournament titles in 2024.
Northern Illinois will give the Horizon League 12 women’s soccer programs and 11 men’s soccer programs unless there are any defections or any other new schools accepted into the conference in the upcoming months.
Youngstown State does not currently offer men’s soccer and is the only current Horizon League member not to have both programs.
The Horizon League will be expanding in the near future with the addition in 2026 of Northern Illinois University, an NCAA Division I school that currently sponsors men's soccer and women's soccer.
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(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and news@nationalsoccernetwork.com, or call 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 32-year veteran of the Michigan and national media circles and recently joined the staff full time at PMG in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/NSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
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