MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Aubrey Robertson (Fishers, Ind./Fishers) scored the lone goal in the 36th minute as the Northern Illinois University women's soccer team topped Central Michigan, 1-0, on Thursday night (Oct. 2) at the CMU Soccer Complex. NIU goalkeeper Lauren Pearson (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) made a pair of saves to pick up her second consecutive shutout. 

"Very pleased with the result, to get our first MAC win of the season at a tough place to come, Central Michigan," said NIU head coach Michael O'Neill. "They haven't had a great season, but they always make it tough for you to win games here and today was no different. 

"Our team battled hard, it wasn't a very pretty game. It wasn't a game for the purest in terms of technique and possession-based soccer, but that's the MAC. We were able to win a lot of duels in central areas; we were able to stay combative and on the front foot for large parts of the game. Aubrey Robertson, senior captain, steps up puts one in the net and we were able to keep the clean sheet to win the game."

The first chance of the contest came for the Huskies in the 11th minute as Tyra King (Menifee, Calif./Metea Valley) eluded a defender on the left side before firing a shot from a tight angle that was smothered by Central Michigan goalkeeper Jadia Kershaw. 

Pearson was called into action for the first time in the contest in the 26th minute as she comfortably scooped up a long distance shot from Alyssa Di-Campli.

Central Michigan (0-9-2, 0-3-2 MAC) had an excellent chance to open the scoring in the 28th minute as the ball ping-ponged around in the NIU box before falling to Sofia Spano who fired high from about 10 yards out. 

In the 36th minute, a shot from Zoe Mclauchlan (Gatineau, Quebec/Collège Nouvelles Frontières) was tipped around the post by Kershaw for a NIU corner. 

From the ensuing corner, Elle Wainscott (Oswego, Ill./Saint Francis HS) got a touch on the ball before it hit a Central Michigan defender and fell to Robertson about eight yards from goal. Robertson poked it past Kershaw for her first goal of the season to give the Huskies a 1-0 lead. The assist for Wainscott was the first point of her collegiate career. 

NIU (3-4-3, 1-1-2 MAC) nearly doubled its lead from another corner just two minutes later as King fired a shot from close range that was well saved by Kershaw as the Huskies took a 1-0 lead into the interval. 

A Central Michigan corner kick early in the second half led to a scramble in front of the Huskie goal that was cleared by NIU. 

The Huskies then had a chance in the 50th minute after a foul led to a free kick from Mclauchlan just over 20 yards from goal that was fired high. 

In the 65th minute, Ella Betzold had an opportunity to even the contest for Central Michigan, but she whistled a shot just high. 

NIU nearly doubled its advantage through Mckayla Harsley (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) in the 83rd minute as her right-footed effort from outside the box went just wide of the post to the right of Kershaw. 

The Huskies saw out the final minutes of the contest as they picked up their first conference win of the season, and their third win in the last four meetings against Central Michigan. 

NIU will return home on Sunday, Oct. 5, when the Huskies host Buffalo. Kickoff against the Bulls is scheduled for 1 p.m. and admission to all NIU Soccer matches is free of charge.