This week, six different Benedictine University athletic teams will be in action. Men's Soccer looks to continue the recent hot streak with three contests, volleyball and women's soccer have two games scheduled, football will travel to Rockford, and the men's and women's cross country teams will have a final tune-up at Wisconsin-Oshkosh before the conference championships in early November. Here is a preview of all the match-ups:
 
FOOTBALL (3-2, 1-1)
 
Saturday: at Rockford (0-5, 0-2), 2:00 p.m.
 
The Regents are still looking for win number one on the season, but have still managed to put plenty of points up on the scoreboard. Led by senior quarterback Aabed Nekrawesh, the conference leader in passing yards per game (287.4) and passing touchdowns (10), Rockford has scored 49 points and totaled 881 yards of offense in conference losses to Concordia-Chicago and Lakeland. The Eagles defense will have to key in on Delroy Russell Jr., as the senior wide receiver leads the conference in receiving yards (715), receiving touchdowns (6), and has recorded over 200 receiving yards in two different games this season.
 
Last season, the Eagles defeated the Regents 28-0 in Lisle, with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Cyle Schultz to Artie Monaco being the team's biggest play. BenU is 5-0 all-time against the Regents.
 
VOLLEYBALL (13-10, 7-0)
 
Tuesday: at Aurora (10-13, 3-3), 7:00 p.m.
 
The Spartans currently sit sixth in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference with a 3-3 conference record. Aurora was 3-1 coming into the weekend, but dropped matches at Lakeland and Marian by a 3-1 score. BenU also took the weekend trip to Wisconsin to take on the same two schools, defeating Marian 3-1 and Lakeland 3-0.
 
BenU holds a 9-5 edge in the rivalry since 2002. However, the team is just 3-4 against the Spartans since the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference was formed in 2006.
 
Friday: vs. Edgewood (19-6, 6-0), 7:00 p.m.
 
First-place in the NACC could be on the line on Friday night with the battle of the Eagles, as Edgewood and Benedictine are the only two unbeaten teams left in the NACC. Like BenU, Edgewood is currently on a six-game winning streak. On that streak, Edgewood was able to win a big match against Dominican 3-2 on October 5, who was picked to finish in the top three of the conference along with Edgewood and BenU.
 
Benedictine is 5-5 against Edgewood in the history of the conference. Three of those ten match-ups include postseason matches. Edgewood bested Benedictine 3-1 in both the 2009 Quarterfinals and 2011 Semifinals (en route to a conference championship), as Benedictine defeated Edgewood in last season's conference championship game to earn a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
MEN'S SOCCER (6-5-1, 5-0-1)
 
Tuesday: at Concordia-Chicago (4-9, 1-4), 3:00 p.m.
 
The Cougars have already won twice as many games as last season, as the team went just 2-15-2 in 2012. Three of the team's four wins game in the first two weeks of the season, as the team is just 1-8 since September 11. However, one of those victories is a 3-2 conference win over Marian on October 4. CUC possesses one of the conference's top young goalkeepers in freshman Roberto Aragon, as he leads the NACC with 77 saves.
 
Last season, the Cougars defeated the Eagles 4-1, with Julio Lopez netting the team's only goal. Benedictine holds a 4-3 edge in the series since the NACC was formed in 2006.
 
Thursday: vs. Wheaton (9-3-1), 7:00 p.m.
 
The Eagles will take a break from conference play on Thursday night to face College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Wheaton. A rescheduled game from September 18 that was moved due to weather, this contest against the nationally-ranked Thunder figures to be a strong test for Benedictine. While BenU is just 1-5 against non-conference opponents this season, the team has played a rigorous schedule, which has allowed them to be prepared for NACC play. 
 
Saturday: vs. Lakeland (7-5-1, 3-3), 3:30 p.m.
 
Lakeland currently sits in fifth place in the NACC standings. The Muskies have lost three out of the last four contests, including a 7-1 loss to non-conference opponent Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Wednesday. However, the team rebounded with a 2-0 win over Concordia-Chicago on Saturday.
 
Last season, the Eagles defeated Lakeland 3-0 behind goals from Edgar Reyes, Alberto Mendez, and Lupe Martinez. It was the only time BenU has defeated Lakeland in conference play, as BenU went 0-3-3 in the six prior contests.
 
WOMEN'S SOCCER (4-9-1, 2-4-1)
 
Wednesday: vs. Concordia-Chicago (9-2-2, 3-2-1), 7:00 p.m.
 
After finishing seventh in the conference and just missing the conference tournament last season, the Cougars have had a terrific 2013 season. The team sits at fifth place in the NACC and has scored just nine goals in six conference games, but the team is 9-2-2 overall. CUC hasn't lost since falling to Aurora on September 24, going 5-0-1 overall and 3-0-1 in NACC games since. Senior Alyssa Soulis is in a four-way tie for the conference lead in goals with 11; a group that includes BenU's Nikki Jhanji.
 
Benedictine fell to Concordia-Chicago 1-0 last season. It was the first time since the conference was formed in 2006 that the Eagles lost to the Cougars, as BenU was 5-0-1 in the six prior meetings.
 
Saturday: vs. Lakeland (4-7-1, 1-4-0), 6:00 p.m.
 
The Muskies have gone 1-4-1 in the last five games and have scored only four goals conference play. However, the team came away with a big 10-0 win last Tuesday against Mount Mary, which accounts for more than double of the team's total goals this season.
 
The Eagles came away with a 3-1 victory over Lakeland last season behind goals from Jhanji, Perla Chavez, and Tara Tarazoff. Benedictine has not lost to the Muskies over the last four seasons.
 
CROSS COUNTRY
 
Saturday: at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational, 10:15 a.m./11:00 a.m.
 
Saturday's meet, which will take place at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wisconsin, will be the last competition for both men's and women's cross country before the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Championships. The Eagles will have two weeks to prepare for the biggest meet of the year after the Brooks Invitational.
 
Both teams competed at the same meet last fall, with the men's team finishing in 33rd and the women's team finishing in 34th. Julie Carroll led the way for the women with a time of 24:56, while David Martin paced the men at 27:59.