KENT, Ohio – The NIU women's soccer team (5-10-5, 3-6-2 MAC) won their Mid-American Conference tournament semi-final against Western Michigan (13-7-1, 6-4-1 MAC) 3-2 at Dix Stadium on Friday.
 
The Broncos scored the first goal of the match as Megan Ross got the ball after a corner and beat MacKenzie Lee (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) after Lee had made a diving save on a previous shot. The Huskies only managed one shot on goal in the first half and didn't get any corner kicks with Western getting four corners.
 
NIU scored tied the game in the 50^th minute as Allie Ingham (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) received a ball headed by Natalie Yass (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West) after a cross was made by Jennie Nailor (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates). Ingham also scored the go-ahead goal in the 59^th minute after Yass played the ball into the box and it bounced over the head of keeper Stephanie Heber where Ingham won the race to knock the ball in the net.
 
"Allie was prepared and ready," Head Coach John Ross said. "She followed the ball really well on both goals and made sure she put them in the net."
 
The Huskies added some insurance as freshman Kelsey Chope (San Jose, Calif./Leland) scored her first career goal in the 73^rd minute as she bounced a ball into the box that went through the hands of Heber and into the net before a WMU defender could get to it. That goal made the game 3-1 NIU but would end up being the game winner as WMU's Alex Ruffer scored in the 83rd minute to cut the lead in half.
 
NIU women's soccer will play in their first MAC championship game since finishing as the runner-up in 2006. They will face the two-seed and host Kent State on Sunday at noon central for a chance to get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.