After dropping a pair of close matches to No. 24 Washington and Portland University last weekend, the Wisconsin men's soccer team (4-4-0) is looking to regain some confidence as it hosts Northern Illinois University (5-2-1) tonight at the McClimon Soccer Complex at 7 p.m.

The Badgers enter tonight's match following an exhaustive September schedule in which the team has journeyed to tournaments in Milwaukee, Albuquerque and Seattle over the past three weekends. Upon returning from the extensive traveling, head coach Jeff Rohrman is pleased to be back in Madison and playing at McClimon.

"It's been a grueling 10 days or so [of traveling]," Rohrman said. "You know, having gone to New Mexico and out to Seattle — it takes a toll. The travel and obviously the high level of competition we faced made things difficult, so it's nice to be home here for a little bit of a stretch."

Although the Badgers were victorious the last time the Huskies visited Madison, Northern Illinois has won six of the last seven matches between the two teams, and is currently entertaining a two-game win streak after consecutive 1-0 victories over UW-Green Bay and Saint Louis University. Rohrman need only think back to last year's match up with the Huskies to know what to expect out of this year's squad.

"Last year [Northern Illinois was] very good and they beat us down there," Rohrman said. "They're a much improved team, very talented, very athletic, and they're a dangerous team that should not be taken lightly. They've got some kids that can really do some good things, and we'll have to come out and play one of our better games to beat them."

Although Wisconsin posts an inferior record, the Badgers have faced a tougher schedule than the Huskies thus far in 2005, losing to such ranked opponents as No. 12 Fairleigh Dickinson, No. 3 New Mexico and No. 24 Washington.

In response to last weekend's losses, Rohrman hopes his team can play faster against the Huskies and employ more options in the attacking third.

"I think we need to establish a little more rhythm in our attack," Rohrman said. "We need to play a little bit quicker because there were times [last weekend] when our movement wasn't so great and we just weren't seeing things as quickly as we needed to. Our spacing also needs to be a little bit better against a team like Northern Illinois. We've addressed a few of those things and we've worked on them a little, so I'm hoping we can come out and get some things going in the attack."

A victory tonight for the Badgers would provide the team with a much-needed spark for the upcoming Big Ten season. And for the seasoned players, a win tonight would provide them with something more: payback.

"We definitely need to come out with a good showing," sophomore midfielder Dirk Pearson said. "I mean, we definitely need a win because it's an important regional game and they're a close rival. They also beat us last year, so we're all looking to get some revenge."