Women’s soccer split its weekend conference series against the Kent State Golden Flashes and the Ohio University Bobcats at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex.

The Huskies (8-6-1, 5-3 Mid-American Conference) fell to the Golden Flashes (11-4-1, 7-1 MAC), 1-0, Friday in a rematch of last year’s MAC Championship, and defeated the Bobcats (7-8-1, 4-3-1 MAC), 1-0, Sunday on senior day.

“I think that we played really strongly [Sunday] bouncing back from the loss against Kent State,” sophomore forward Natalie Yass said. “We just really wanted to get it together for the seniors.”

 

Friday – Kent State

The Huskies made a late offensive push, but it was not enough to complete the comeback, and they fell to the Golden Flashes 1-0.

Kent State forward Donavan Capehart scored the lone goal of the game for Kent State in the 26th minute when she finished a cross from the right side in goal.

“They’re a first place team, and we definitely challenged them,” Head Coach John Ross said. “We definitely weren’t firing on all cylinders. We were just a step off tonight.”

The Huskies’ best offensive opportunity came in the 30th minute when junior forward Taylor Sarver appeared to have scored on a corner kick taken by redshirt junior midfielder Lauren Gierman, but the goal was disallowed because of a handball.

Freshman goalkeeper Megan Donnally made her first collegiate start after coming off the bench in the team’s Oct. 8 game against Ball State University.

Of Kent State’s five shots on goal, Capehart’s goal was the only one to get past Donnally. The freshman goalkeeper made four saves in the match, including an impressive tip over the crossbar after a shot taken by the Golden Flashes just outside the box.

The Golden Flashes are one of the top defensive teams in the conference, allowing 0.64 goals per game with a 0.63 goals against average.

Ross said the Golden Flashes are an athletic team, and their backline is good at clearances and winning balls in the air, but the Huskies definitely had chances to score goals.

“We had a couple [scuffles] right in front of the goal,” Ross said. “They blocked one [and] one got called back. We were getting some opportunities, [but] I think in the final third we needed to be a little more conscious of what they were giving us. They were giving us a little more room outside for a service, and we need to take advantage of that a little bit more.”

NIU out-shot the Golden Flashes, 12-8, edged the visitors, 5-4, on corner kicks but were only able to get two shots on goal to Kent State’s five.

 

Sunday – Ohio

Yass netted her second goal of the season in the 32nd minute, and it was all the offense the Huskies needed as they cruised to the 1-0 victory.

NIU was stout defensively in the game, thwarting away most of the Bobcats’ offensive opportunities. The Bobcats came into the matchup having scored seven goals in their previous two matchups against the University of Akron and Western Michigan University.

Ross said his team was good at pressuring the Bobcats all over the field and reading what the visitors were trying to do.

“[Ohio] had a couple of chances,” Ross said. “But we were able to clean it up and we were in good position with numbers. That had an effect on the whole day right from the start of the game.”

The Huskies were putting offensive pressure on the Bobcats right out of the gate and almost scored an early goal, but it was waved off because of Bobcats’ goalkeeper Sydney Malham getting fouled. Malham took a hard hit and was replaced by backup goalkeeper Erin Beurket in the third minute.

Senior goalkeeper Amy Annala was back in net for the Huskies, and combined with the defense, held the Bobcats to three shots and one shot on goal. NIU had nine shots in the game and held the edge in corner kicks, 4-2.

Senior midfielder Allie Ingham assisted on Yass’ goal, along with Sarver, and led the team in shots with four. Yass leads the team with 30 shots this season and said it is something the team has looked to improve on this season.

“We’re really focusing on finding the goal before anything else this year,” Yass said.

NIU hits the road for a matchup with the Central Michigan University Chippewas 5 p.m. Thursday in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The Huskies have three games remaining before the start of the MAC Tournament.