DeKALB — One counter attack and finish from senior forward Kelsi McLaughlin was all the Huskies (4-5-3, 2-2-2 MAC) needed to snap a nine-game losing skid against the Broncos of Western Michigan University (9-3-1, 5-1-1 MAC) for a 1-0 victory on Thursday night at NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
After suffering a 5-0 thrashing by the University at Buffalo on Sunday, the Huskies bounced back to hand the top team in the Mid-American Conference their first conference loss.
“Super proud of the effort, we were prepared for the battle,” said NIU women’s soccer head coach Michael O’Neill. “A young team missing some big pieces tonight, yet I thought they were amazing in every phase of the game and after such a tough loss on Sunday, this response means everything to all of us.”
The Broncos established control early on and despite being buried in their half for the first 15 minutes, the Huskies gathered possession in their half and strung together some quick passes. A long ball to the midfield appeared to be a turnover for the Huskies but McLaughlin trapped it and junior midfielder Isabel Struble played sophomore forward Alyssa Stephenson through on the right side. Stephenson quickly picked out McLaughlin in the box where she calmly took a touch to her left side and slotted it into the left corner to take the lead.
“We had great communication during the goal, we had a cross go in from Alyssa and I ended up turning, got a little bit of space and put it in the side netting,” McLaughlin said. “I’m super proud of this team, super grateful because this is our standard now.”
WMU’s plan remained the same after the goal, dominating possession and breaking NIU down with the passes but the Huskies defensive efforts were on full display tonight.
“In the flow of the game, I thought we were compact, we were hungry to defend and limited them to long distance shots and corners,” said O’Neill. “With our captain Aubrey Robertson not being available tonight, Elle Wainscott stepped in to fill that void.”
The Huskies picked up the intensity during the second half, frustrating the Broncos as the game waned. Despite Western Michigan dominating total shots 12-5, NIU’s defense and pressure forced mistakes where NIU tried to capitalize, including a chip shot from junior forward Tyra King that was cleared near the goal line by a Broncos defender.
UNSUNG HEROES
King proved to be a valuable spark for NIU with her hold up play and constant press, keeping the Broncos defense on their toes even in their best moments.
Another notable performance was from sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Pearson who recorded 6 saves, tying her career high and accounting for her third clean sheet of the season.
“Lauren is the shield to all of what we do,” O’Neill said. “She protected that backline, she picked up so many loose balls, dealt with the heavy pressure and gave us the confidence to play from the back.”
In the end, the Huskies held strong despite a bombardment of corners and a bullet header from WMU that found the back of the net but was ruled out due to a foul call. The Broncos kept knocking at the door but the Huskies were able to keep it shut, securing a 1-0 result, the clean sheet and handing WMU their first MAC loss since 2022.
“We embraced the physicality,“ O’Neill emphasized. “There’s no better win than a 1-0 win, and getting over the line like that, we earned it.”
UP NEXT
The Huskies look to carry on their momentum on the road against Kent State University at noon on Sunday at Zoeller Field at Dix Stadium in Kent, Ohio.
