DEKALB, Ill. -- A goal with less than five minutes to play in regulation helped Ball State spoil a comeback attempt by the Northern Illinois University women's soccer team as the Cardinals edged the Huskies, 2-1, on Thursday afternoon at the NIU Soccer Complex. Junior Natalie Yass (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West) scored to even the game for the Huskies in the second half before the late Cardinal goal. 

"Today was a good step forward, even though the results isn't what we want," said NIU head coach Julie Colhoff. "It comes down to cleaning up some key decision-making moments, but overall I was very pleased, once with settled in, with the way we trusted the game plan. We executed, we combined, created chances and were more cohesive defensively. Those are all things that we can build off of, now our challenge is, after one step forward, making sure it isn't two steps back and to continue making steps forward."

Ball State (6-3-2, 2-2-1 MAC) started the game well as Tatiana Mason hit the right post with a shot in the fourth minute. The Cardinals then went in front on a goal by Lauren Roll in the 12th minute. 

Allison Abbe whipped in a cross from the right side toward Mason who redirected a shot past NIU sophomore goalkeeper Megan Donnally (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) to give the Cardinals a 1-0 advantage. 

Just three minutes later, Ball State nearly doubled its advantage as a chance by Abbe was cleared off the goal line by the Huskie defense. 

NIU (1-12, 0-5 MAC) created its best chance of the opening half in the 33rd minute. The Huskies earned a corner that Yass took short to freshman Trudy Quidzinski (Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy) whose dipping shot went just over the crossbar as Ball State took a 1-0 lead into the intermission. 

The first good chance of the second half came in in the 68th minute as, off a free kick from just outside the box, Ball State's Sammi Corcoran hit the post from close range. 

A minute later the Huskies levelled the match in the first goal of the season from Yass. Junior Kelsey Chope (San Jose, Calif./Leland) made a run down the right wing and sent a cross toward Yass near the top of the box. Yass collected the ball and sent a shot across the face of goal and into the upper corner on the far side to pull the Huskies even with the third goal of her NIU career. 

In the 83rd minute, junior Kyleigh Dominguez (Geneva, Ill./Geneva) had a chance for the Huskies, but she skied the shot over the goal. 

The Cardinals found the game-winner just three minutes later as a miscue by the Huskie defense put Amanda Shaw in on goal and Shaw slotted a shot past senior MacKenzie Lee (Yorkville, Ill./Yorkville) low to the corner to give Ball State a 2-1 lead in the 86th minute. 

Donnally made three saves while Lee made one after coming on just before halftime. 

NIU will finish the weekend on the road as the Huskies travel to Miami on Sunday, Oct. 7, to meet the RedHawks. Game time in Oxford, Ohio, is slated for 12 p.m. CT.