Eastern Illinois (0-2-1) vs. Northern Illinois University (2-2)

Saturday, September 5 

4:30PM at Charleston, Ill. (Lakeside Field) 

Live Stats I ESPN+ 

ON TAP: Eastern Illinois will continue its four-match homestand on Saturday, September 5 when the Panthers host Northern Illinois at Lakeside Field. The match will be EIU's third consecutive home contest to open the 2026 regular season. Eastern Illinois will look to continue its non-conference schedule before opening Ohio Valley Conference play on September 26 against Western Illinois. 

HOMESTAND CONTINUES: Saturday's match against Northern Illinois will be the third contest of a four-match homestand for Eastern Illinois. The Panthers opened the homestand against Wright State on August 27 before hosting St. Thomas on August 30. EIU will close the homestand on September 11 against Bradley before traveling to Chicago State and Marshall. 

NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Northern Illinois enters the 2026 season as a member of the Mid-American Conference. The Huskies will travel to Charleston for Saturday's meeting with the Panthers as part of their non-conference schedule. Northern Illinois will play a challenging schedule in preparation for MAC play later in the season. 

SERIES HISTORY-NORTHERN ILLINOIS: Saturday's contest will add another chapter to the series between Eastern Illinois and Northern Illinois. The Panthers and Huskies have met multiple times in program history, with the two in-state programs continuing their non-conference rivalry in 2026. 

NON-CONFERENCE PLAY: Eastern Illinois will play six consecutive non-conference matches before opening Ohio Valley Conference play on September 26 against Western Illinois. Following the four-match homestand, the Panthers will travel to Chicago State and Marshall before beginning conference action. 

OVC PLAY: Eastern Illinois will open the Ohio Valley Conference play on September 26 when the Panthers host Western Illinois. EIU will play a 10-match conference schedule in 2026, with the OVC Tournament scheduled for November 8, 11 and 14 at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. 

HEAD COACH: Ruy Vaz enters his second season as the head coach of the Eastern Illinois men's soccer program. Vaz is assisted by Andre Cavichione, with Matteo Puli serving as the assistant coach for goalkeepers. 

2026 SCHEDULE: Eastern Illinois' 2026 schedule features nine non-conference matches before the Panthers begin OVC play in September. Following the four-game homestand, EIU travels to Chicago State and Marshall before opening conference action against Western Illinois. The Panthers will also face Southern Illinois, SIUE, UT Rio Grande Valley, Incarnate Word, Houston Christian and Lindenwood during the OVC schedule. 

GAME INFORMATION: Saturday's match against Northern Illinois is scheduled for 4:30pm at Lakeside Field in Charleston. The match is scheduled to have live stats and an ESPN+ broadcast.