DEKALB – The NIU women's soccer team (3-4-2, 2-0 MAC) defeated Eastern Michigan (2-6-2, 0-2 MAC) 2-1 Sunday afternoon at the NIU Soccer Complex.
 
The Huskies maintained possession and steady pressure on the EMU defense for most of the first half when freshman Abby Gregg (Brookfield, Wis/Brookfield East) put the ball in the back of the net in the 36^th minute. That was Gregg's second goal of the season and second in as many games.
 
The score remained 1-0 into the second half when Marisol Galvan (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) received a pass on the right wing where she fired the ball off the far post and in to put NIU up 2-0 in the 66^th minute. Sunday was just Galvan's third game played this season, all as a substitute.
 
"Taylor Sarver (Machesney Park, Ill/Harlem) really set the play up by drawing the defenders to her and got the ball to Marisol, who took a great first touch towards the goal and she went and buried it," Head Coach John Ross said. "It was a really great moment for our team."
 
Eastern Michigan ramped up their offensive pressure in the second half, as they were awarded four corner kicks in the half and took five shots, four on goal with one going in as Peyton Davis was able to just get the ball past the line behind Amy Annala (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) in the 90^th minute.
 
The Huskies only allowed that one goal in 290 minutes of their three-match homestand over the past week. Coach Ross has been pleased with his team's defense throughout the first nine games of the season.
 
"Our defense has been outstanding for most of the year," Ross said. "Just fighting for every ball, one-on-one defending, box defending has just been really strong and Amy is really anchoring that defense."
 
NIU will play their next three matches on the road against Kent State, Ohio and Miami (Ohio) before returning home to play Ball State on Oct. 9.