DEKALB, Ill. – Abby McHugh (Wauconda, Ill./Wauconda) scored her first career goal, but the Northern Illinois University women's soccer team fell to Akron, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 9) at the NIU Soccer Complex. 

"We were slow and sloppy in possession (in the first half)," said NIU head coach Michael O'Neill. "We just had to up the ante from a pressure standpoint. It was a great start (to the second half), I was pleased with the first 20 minutes of the second half and then we just ran out of steam in our legs. Akron did a great job, credit to them, keeping the ball, moving us around and not really allowing us to build off those transitional moments."

Just eight minutes in, Madison Looby (Saginaw, Mich./Nouvel Catholic Central) had a chance as she cut inside from the left and fired a shot that missed the far post. Lea Gruennagel (Homburg, Germany/Intergrierte Gesamtschule Contwig) then send a curling shot just high in the 17th minute. 

Akron (2-7-2, 1-5-0 MAC) had an excellent chance to open the scoring in the 25th minute as Ella Hadley got in behind the NIU defense and brought down a long ball, moving into the box for a shot one-v-one with Huskie goalkeeper Sadie McGill (Fort Worth, Texas/L.D. Bell) from about 10 yards, but McGill smothered the shot to keep the contest scoreless. 

Hadley broke the deadlock for the Zips just past the half-hour mark. A giveaway at the back by the Huskies led to a chance from close range by Calli Swisher that was saved by McGill. The rebound fell to Hadley and her shot was palmed away by the NIU goalkeeper, but Stefanie Karras flicked it back to Hadley for a second attempt and she buried it from about eight yards. 

Six minutes later, Akron doubled its advantage. A free kick from just outside the box from Laurie-Anne Renaud was taken down by Kristina Syragakis who created just enough space to get a shot off in a crowd, tucking her chance inside the post from about 10 yards to give Akron a 2-0 lead in the 37th minute that they would take into halftime. 

Just four minutes after the intermission, NIU (5-5-3, 2-3-1 MAC) cut the Akron lead in half on a goal by McHugh. Jamie Ward (Cherry Valley, Ill./Rockford East) played an excellent cross from the right toward the top of the six-yard box McHugh flicked a header over Akron goalkeeper Penelope Cuirinier to bring the Huskies within a goal. 

In the 55th minute, Abby Zipse (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) nearly leveled for the Huskies. From a second ball off a corner, Looby played the ball into the path of Zipse near the penalty spot and her shot had Cuirinier beat but it was cleared off the line by the Akron defense. 

Akron regained its two-goal advantage in the 74th minute when Hadley added her second goal of the game. From a Zips corner, the initial ball was poked toward goal where a Huskie mishit a clearance and it fell right to Hadley at the back post and her slotted in with her right foot to give the Zips a 3-1 advantage. 

Ten minutes from time, NIU nearly had a lifeline as, from a Huskie corner, Jordyn King (Menifee, Calif./Paloma) and McHugh both had shots cleared off the line by the Zips. 

McGill finished with six saves for the Huskies, Cuirinier made five stops for Akron, to go along with the three attempts cleared off the line by her defense. 

NIU will return to action on Thursday, Oct. 13, when the Huskies travel to Buffalo. Kickoff against the Bulls is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.