DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's soccer team scored its most goals in a single game since October 3, 1997, as the Huskies defeated the University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles, 6-1, at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex on Thursday night (Aug. 29).
 
NIU's goalscoring was led by Tyra King (Naperville, Ill./Metea Valley) who scored two goals. Kelsi McLaughlin (Greenfield, Ind./ Illinois State), Lea Gruennagel (Homburg, Germany/Saginaw Valley State), Mikayla Rivera (Plainfield, Ill. Plainfield North) and McKenna Campbell-Turkalj (Kitchener, Ontario) each found the net once in the win.
 
"We had a lot of great goals today," head coach Michael O'Neill said. "Scoring is the hardest thing to do in this sport and it's all about decision making and composure. Today the chances went in the net and when the ball hits the net the confidence leads to more goals. We will hope to see that on Sunday and the rest of the season."
 
King led the Huskies in goals in 2023 with three on the season.
 
"Tyra (King) got two today, but our goals have been spread out so far this year," O'Neill said. "Defenders are scoring and midfielders are scoring. Coach V (Giambanco) has done a fantastic job working with the team and getting those reps in. There is no guarantee that will lead to a reward but today it did."
 
Early in the match, NIU forced the ball deep into the Screaming Eagles end and just 6:58 into the game King ran past the defense after a pass from Isabel Struble (Mount Pleasant, Mich./Mount Pleasant) and then beat the keeper on the outside of the box. She then chipped the ball back across the box and into the right corner of the net.
 
USI evened the game just before halftime as Emerson Grafton's long range effort found the back of the net in the 43^rd minute.
 
"I feel like we went into a shell a little bit when we made some changes in the first half," O'Neill said. "It was hard for the girls to come on and get settled. USI plays a very direct style, so halftime gave us a good chance to reset. That led to us going out in the second half and being able to score five goals, and that says a lot about the resilience of this group."
 
In the second half, NIU came out controlling possession deep into the USI end. Just two minutes into the half Gruennagel blocked a potential clearance and then rocketed the ball past USI goalkeeper Anna Markland to push the Huskies back in front.
 
McLaughlin extended the lead and scored the Huskies' third goal just five minutes later as she dribbled past a Screaming Eagles defender well outside the box before blasting the ball into the left side of the goal.
 
King netted her second goal of the night, and the Huskies' fourth, in the 64^th minute off a perfectly placed pass by Alyssa Stephenson as she scored past USI backup keeper Zoe Linter.
 
In the 78^th minute, a corner kick set up the Huskies' fifth goal. Reegan Kingpavong (Rockford, Ill./Guilford) took the corner and Campbell-Turkalj headed it low into the lower right corner of the net.
 
NIU's final goal came in the 88^th minute as Campbell-Turkalj stole the ball in the box and immediately passed it to Rivera who kicked the ball from outside of the box right into the inside of the left post before bouncing in.
 
Ary Purifoy (Machesney Park, Ill./Harlem) earned her second win in as many starts and made five saves while allowing just one goal. 
 
Markland earned the loss, allowing three goals in 51:56 while Linter allowed the final three goals in 38:04. Linter made two saves. NIU outshot USI 13-8.
 
The Huskies are back in action on Sunday, Sept. 1 as they travel to Michigan to take on Oakland. The match is set for a 12 p.m. CT kickoff.
 
-- NIU --