DEKALB – The NIU women's soccer team (5-5-1, 2-2 MAC) will host their third-straight Mid-American Conference match this Thursday as they welcome Miami (Ohio) (0-10-1, 0-3-1 MAC) to the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. The kickoff for the match has been moved up from it's original 6 p.m. CT start time to begin at noon due to the weather forecast.
 
The Huskies are coming off of back-to-back 2-1 defeats at home to Toledo in double overtime and to Bowling Green in regulation. In both matches, the NIU goals were generated off of the foot of junior Lauren Gierman (Prospect Heights, Ill./John Hersey) on corner kicks. The first against Toledo, was scored by Gierman directly off of the corner and the second was headed into the net by freshman Haley Hoppe (Austin, Texas/Rouse) for her second goal of the season.
 
Gierman now ties for the team lead in points with her goal and five assists with a total of seven points and Hoppe has the second-most points on the team with five and is the second Huskie with multiple goals this season.
 
After giving up two goals in back-to-back matches, the NIU coaching staff is looking to potentially looking to shake up their defensive back line. On multiple occasions Gierman has been moved to the center back positon to help give the Huskies more of an offensive push starting from the back so that could be what Head Coach John Ross turns to.
 
The Redhawks have not won a match yet this season with their only tie coming in their last game against Ohio on Sunday. Miami has only scored three goals all season with Olivia Winnett scoring two of them and they allow 1.78 goals per game with keeper Patricia Koutoulas making 60 this season.
 
After this match, NIU women's soccer will play one match on the road at Ball State on Sunday before returning home to host Kent State and Ohio next week.