BOSTON -- The Huskies look to get back to their winning ways this weekend when the Northeastern men's soccer team hosts Columbia in a non-conference match on Saturday night at 6 p.m. on Parsons Field.

For Northeastern students interested in attending Saturday's game, shuttle buses will depart from Chicken Lou's one hour, 45 minutes, 30 minutes and 15 minutes prior to the match, and return to campus at the conclusion of the game.

Last time out
Facing a 1-0 halftime deficit, Northeastern outshot Boston University 7-2 during a hard second half press, but could not net the equalizer as the Terriers topped the Huskies on Tuesday night at Nickerson Field, 1-0.

Dylan Faber made two saves for the Huskies, who outshot BU 13-6 for the match and earned eight corner opportunities to Boston University's one.

Home sweet home
The Huskies will put their 18-match home unbeaten streak on the line Saturday night against the Lions. NU secured its second straight unbeaten season at Parsons Field in 2012 thanks to an 8-0-1 mark, and has not lost at home since Nov. 6, 2010 (17-0-1).

Looking for a spark
The Huskies have found themselves in unfamiliar territory in recent games. Dating back to the 44th minute against Fordham on Sept. 10, opposing defenses have held the Huskies without a goal for the last 243:34, its longest drought since 2009.

Shut down defense
The NU defense however, has held up its end of the bargain. The veteran group, anchored by Simon Cox and Ambry Moss, has allowed just one goal in the last 290 minutes.

Sophomore goalkeeper Dylan Faber has led the way for the Huskies, picking up back-to-back clean sheets against Fordham and at Providence, making a combined fives.  Faber ranks third in the conference in goals against average (0.93) and is second with a .793 save percentage.

Dishing it out
The Huskies haven't been afraid to pass the ball so far this season. Northeastern has eight helpers through six matches, which is tied for fourth in the conference and 52nd in the nation.

Senior Dante Marini leads the squad with three assists in 2013, and ranks in a tie for first in the CAA and 21st in the country in total assists.

McKenna starting to hit his stride
Freshman forward Christian McKenna has earned his spot in the Northeastern offensive attack. Despite not having recorded a point this season, McKenna has played a significant part in NU's play in the attacking third.

McKenna is tied for the team lead with 12 shots with Dante Marini and Terence Carter. McKenna would be the first Husky since Don Anding in 2009 to lead the team in shots as a rookie.

Scouting Columbia
Columbia rolls into town looking for its first road victory of the season, and its first ever against NU. The Huskies took the win in the only other matchup between the two teams (4-0) at Parsons Field back in 2007. Fresh off a 3-0 home victory against Manhattan, the 2-2 Lions are riding a two-game winning streak and have not surrendered a goal in 163:04.

Senior midfielder David Najem leads the Lions in scoring with three goals and an assist for seven points. His three goals and seven points are already greater than the team-leading totals last season accumulated by current senior midfielder Henning Sauerbier. The remaining three goals for the Lions this season have been scored by sophomore defender/midfielder Antonio Matarazzo (2-0-4) and freshman defender Rhys Williams (1-0-2).

Sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Jackson has had a strong start to the 2013 season, posting a 1.25 goals against average and an .821 save percentage while playing all 360 minutes, allowing only five goals in that span.

Marini putting best foot forward
Senior captain Dante Marini is off to a hot start for the Huskies, leading the team with five points (one goal, three assists) in six games played.

On Sept. 7, the Chadds Ford, Pa. native set new career-highs in assists (two) and points (four) against Fairfield. Marini is NU's active leader in career points with 33 on nine goals and 15 assists.

O Captain, My Captain
Northeastern has chosen its leaders for the 2013 season. Senior Dante Marini, along with juniors Simon Cox and Donovan Fayd'Herbe de Maudave will be looked upon to lead a group of Huskies who return 17 letterwinners, including eight starters, from last season's squad.

Cox enters his first season as a tri-captain, while Fayd'Herbe de Maudave and Marini also served as captains last season.

Fresh faces
The Huskies welcome 10 new faces to the 2013 squad, the most of any team in the conference. The group of three forwards, three midfielders and four defenders are expected to push to returning players for playing time throughout the season.

NU unveils 2013 digital media guide
The Northeastern athletic department introduces the official 2013 digital media guide for men's soccer. In an upgrade from previous media guides, this year's digital guides provide a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate format to access information for all 18 teams at Northeastern.

This season's digital media guides provide a glance into the student-athletes, coaches and history of each NU team, as well as a multitude of information on the University and the City of Boston. The guide also allows fans to learn more about a specific topic with a simple click of the mouse. Visit GoNU.com/DMG to view all four fall media guides.

The road ahead
The Huskies head back on the road on Tuesday when Northeastern travels to Worcester, Mass. to take on Holy Cross at 7 p.m. NU is 12-9-1 all-time against the Crusaders, including a 5-2 victory last season on Parsons Field.

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