DeKALB – Try as it might, this won't be just another game for the Northern Illinois men's soccer team.
That's because the Huskies will open the Zaher/Hensor Memorial Classic tonight at 10 in Corvallis, Ore., against Oregon State and coach Steve Simmons, who left NIU in late June to return to the West Coast and coach the Beavers.
NIU senior forward Josh Karsten had an idea of what will go through his mind the first time he sees Simmons in Oregon.
"To be honest, it'll be kind of awkward," Karsten said. "He's been my coach for three years, but after the game he'll be like, 'Eh, good luck this year.' Nothing too personal, I bet."
That's part of the reason why when Karsten took a look at this season's schedule and saw the Huskies (3-3-1) were playing the Beavers (3-1-3), he couldn't help but take an extra look at tonight's game.
"You're not supposed to put any extra emphasis [on it]. You've got to come every time," Karsten said. "But that will have a little added bonus if we win at their place against him."
Simmons, who compiled a 59-47-14 record in his six seasons at NIU and won the Mid-American Conference title in 2006, said he's enjoying life closer to his family and it was going to be great to see his former players.
"I got to become close to those guys but I know they're there for competition," Simmons said. "They're going to put their best foot forward and we'll do the same and we'll see where it lands.
"It will be the one evening I'm not going for them."
NIU sophomore midfielder Brad Horton, who said when Simmons departed that Simmons was one of the biggest reasons he chose NIU, said on Wednesday that he's pretty much moved on from Simmons leaving.
"Yeah, we've moved on," said Horton, a Sycamore High graduate. "When he left, it was kind of a shocker. But with [NIU coach Eric] Luzzi here and the new coaches here, I think everybody has adjusted well."
Luzzi says that when the whistle sounds, whatever his players do feel about facing their old coach should subside.
"At the end of the day, I don't play on the field, and Steve doesn't play on the field," Luzzi said. "There's only so much affect you can have if you're not one of the 11 guys that are on the field."
And once the game begins, the Huskies will attempt to finish the first half of its schedule with a winning record.
To do that, Karsten said NIU has to make a few minor tweaks in its play.
"Our compactness, if we get that right we should be solid," he said. "It doesn't give them a lot of space to play in."
