DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's soccer team will host Miami on Thursday, Oct. 20, in the final home game of the 2021 season. Kickoff against the RedHawks is scheduled for 5 p.m. The Huskies will then round out the weekend with a trip to Ball State on Sunday, Oct. 24, game time against the Cardinals is 1 p.m. CT.

NIU recorded back-to-back ties last week as the Huskies played to a scoreless draw at Akron (Oct. 14) before tying Buffalo, 1-1, at home (Oct. 17). Sadie McGill (Fort Worth, Texas/North Texas) made four saves in recording the shutout against the Zips while Grace Louis (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) scored her first career goal against the Bulls. 

McGill currently leads the MAC with 5.92 saves per game and ranks fifth in the league with a .772 save percentage. Haley Hoppe (Austin, Texas/Rouse) is tied for fourth in the conference with four goals and tied for fifth with 14 points. 

Miami brings a 7-6-3 record into Thursday's contest, including a 4-4 mark in conference play. Haley Anspach leads the RedHawks with 11 points while Kylee Beinecke, Kristina DeMarco and Julia Hoffmann each have scoring four goals. Izzie Vaccari has played every minute in goal for Miami and has a 1.07 goals against average with a .739 save percentage. 

Ball State enters the weekend with a 4-8-2 overall record, including a 2-4-2 mark in league play. The Cardinals will travel to Western Michigan on Thursday before hosting the Huskies on Sunday. Chelcy Ralph is the leading scorer for Ball State with four goals. Alex DeRuvo has started 13 of 14 games in goal for the Cardinals, posting a 1.70 goals against average and a .684 save percentage. 

Following this weekend's contests, NIU will close the regular season at Western Michigan on Thursday, Oct. 28.