DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois University women's soccer team had the better of the play for much of the match against Akron, but one unlucky deflection and one long-range goal by the visitors doomed the Huskies in a 2-1 defeat to the Zips on Friday night in Mid-American Conference play at the NIU Soccer Complex in DeKalb.

NIU women's soccer head coach John Ross was left disappointed following NIU's fourth consecutive defeat in league play despite another goal from star sophomore Lauren Gierman.

"We controlled most the match but it didn't go our way tonight," Ross said. "Akron had maybe three or four good chances the entire game and scored twice. We had a lot more and just didn't capitalize. We did a lot of good things, but a few mistakes cost us."

The Huskies (2-10-0, 1-4-0 MAC) started the match on the front foot for the opening 10 minutes. However, the first attack by the Zips (5-7-1, 2-3-0 MAC) resulted in the opening goal in the 14th minute. Rachel Schirripa found space on the edge of the box and hit a low shot that deflected off an NIU defender, left Huskie goalkeeper Amy Annala (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) wrong-footed and trickled into the bottom corner.

It didn't take long for NIU to respond as Gierman (Prospect Heights, Ill./John Hersey) continued her rampant goal-scoring form with a fabulous finish in the 23rd minute. On her first career start, freshman defender Kate Sanfilippo (Florissant, Mo./Marquette Catholic) crossed the ball into the box, where Gierman angled her neck to flick the ball off the top of her head and send it looping into the top right corner for her fifth goal in her last five games.

In a match that was tightly refereed and had 41 total fouls called, the match then slowed down into a rhythm of NIU attacking and Akron defending throughout the remainder of the first half and most of the second half.

Taylor Sarver (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) and Nicole Gobbo (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) both used their speed to cause problems, while Gierman finished with four shots - all on target - as the Huskies searched for a much-needed winner.

But it was Akron who scored late on against NIU for the second consecutive season. In the 80th minute, Becca Gordon ran on to a loose ball and fired in an unstoppable blistering left-footed strike to the bottom right corner from the edge of the box to give the Zips a 2-1 lead they wouldn't lose.

The Huskies finished the match outshooting the Zips 10-8 and having an 8-2 edge in corner kicks, but the visitors claimed the three crucial MAC points.

NIU women's soccer returns to action on Sunday for a match at Buffalo at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT at UB Stadium in Amherst, N.Y. The Huskies and Bulls played to a scoreless draw last season.

"This will be another test of our character," Coach Ross said. "We have to believe we'll get the points we need, and when we get that, our confidence will help us go on a good run as we head towards the end of the season."

--NIU--