DEKALB, Ill. – Megan Molner scored just after the hour mark as Northern Kentucky slipped past the Northern Illinois University women's soccer team, 1-0, on Thursday afternoon (Sept. 24) at the NIU Soccer Complex.
"The positives are we created chances, some good ones at that, hit the crossbar a couple of times," said NIU head coach
Michael O'Neill. "The negatives are (that) we didn't capitalize on those chances. We have lost the last three games 1-0, its fine margins in the game of soccer and today is another day where, unfortunately, we didn't take advantage of the margins that we created and they did."
Northern Kentucky (5-3-1, 1-1-0 Horizon) had a chance inside the opening 10 minutes as Molner just beat NIU goalkeeper
Alexandra Devory (Ruckersville, Va./Willam Monroe) to a ball at the top of the box. Molner's touch took it away from goal, but she recovered to send a low shot on target that was cleared off the goal line by
Elle Wainscott (Oswego, Ill./Saint Francis HS).
In the 13th minute,
Mckenna Campbell-Turkalj (Kitchener, Ontario/Resurrection Catholic) nearly opened the scoring for NIU as her shot from about 25 yards cannoned off the crossbar behind Northern Kentucky goalkeeper Autumn Bishop before it was scrambled away by the Norse defense.
Northern Kentucky held a 7-4 edge in shots in the opening 45 minutes but neither team was able to break the deadlock.
The visitors went in front in the 61st minute on a goal by Molner. Erykah Cornett collected the ball on the right wing and beat a Huskie defender in the box before sliding a low cross toward the feet of Molner who swept a shot past Devory with her first touch to give Northern Kentucky a 1-0 lead.
NIU (1-5-2, 0-2-0 Horizon) had an opportunity to level the contest moments later as, from a tight angle near the endline,
Julianna Hill (Burlington, Iowa/West Burlington) clipped a shot over the head of Bishop and off the crossbar.
The Huskies pushed for an equalizer throughout the final 30 minutes and nearly got one in the 90th minute as the second ball off a corner from
Monica Correa (Des Plaines, Ill./Saint Viator) fell to Campbell-Turkalj but she couldn't keep her shot down as it sailed over the crossbar and Northern Kentucky earned the victory.
NIU will return to action on Sunday, Sept. 27, when the Huskies host Wright State at 1 p.m. Sunday is Alumni Day and prior to the match the Huskies will celebrate the life of former NIU women's goalkeeper Amy Carr.
