Women’s soccer secured a spot in the MAC tournament, but it left its chance at hosting a playoff game up in the air.

The Huskies (6-9-3, 4-3-3 MAC) took down the Eastern Michigan Eagles (10-6-1, 6-4 MAC), 3-1, Friday at the Soccer and Track & Field Complex, marking their first win over the Eagles since 2007. The Huskies played the Bowling Green Falcons (4-12-1, 3-6-1 MAC) to a 0-0 draw Sunday.

Head coach John Ross was pleased with the offensive output Friday, and he said the potential for another big game was there Sunday, but luck wasn’t on the Huskies’ side.

“We just need to be a little bit better in our decisions around the box,” Ross said. “If we got one, we probably would have gotten three, but that first one was the tough one. It was tough for us to get that first one.”

NIU is seeded fifth in the MAC with 15 points. If Eastern Michigan, which is tied for fourth with 18 points, loses Thursday, a win for NIU could give the Huskies a home playoff game.

Eastern Michigan

Senior Gwen Sabo got the offense going in the 19th minute. A corner kick from freshman Lauren Gierman went through the hands of Megan McCabe right to a waiting Sabo, who headed the ball into the open net for her first career goal.

The Huskies got another goal from the same spot when junior Nicole Gobbo headed in a cross from freshman Marisa Knott in the 31st minute. The Huskies’ offense put quality crosses into the box, which kept pressure on the Eagles’ back line.

“In practice, we’ve been working on offense, so I just made sure that whenever I had the opportunity to take a girl one on one I did,” Knott said. “I took advantage of that, and then I knew that if a lot [of] people pressured me there’s always an open girl on the post. Luckily, Gobbo finished one of them.”

Eastern Michigan’s lone goal came in the 22nd minute, when Bianca Rossi headed in corner kick that went through freshman Amy Annala’s hands.

The Huskies put away the game when a low cross from Gobbo rolled past a diving McCabe to junior Emily Nulty, who easily scored into the empty net to make the score 3-1.

Gobbo said the team’s assist-heavy attack was the product of the work the Huskies put in during practices.

“We did emphasize crossing a lot and just finishing, working on getting there,” Gobbo said. “I think we were just realizing that we need that urgency to get there. The finishing on those crosses [was] great.”

Bowling Green

The play in regulation was a back-and-forth affair, but the Huskies had their best chances early.

On a short corner kick, Gierman took a shot from the top corner of the box, but goalie Lauren Cadel deflected it, leading to a second corner kick. This corner kick found senior Ashley Neubeck on the back corner, but she was unable to head the ball home, sending it wide.

Bowling Green was able to force the Huskies’ offense to take a lot of shots from long range by keeping its defenders back. The Huskies put up a high-volume attack with 21 shots, but it didn’t help them find a goal.

“We really moved the ball well from side to side, but we never really got in,” Gierman said. “So, shooting the ball from outside, obviously the keeper has more time to get the ball.”

The Falcons had a strong chance in the 63rd minute. Right in front of the net, Annala blocked a shot from Skylar Fleak, who recovered the rebound and sent it wide off her thigh.

NIU dominated the first overtime with several strong chances. The second overtime was a little more even with Bowling Green taking one shot.

Despite earning a spot in the MAC tournament, the Huskies wanted a better result Sunday.

“It’s frustrating, but we worked hard,” Sabo said. “We still got a point; it’s better than giving them three. It’s not disappointing; it’s just a little frustrating. You’d like to win, but a tie is better than no points.”