DEKALB, ILLINOIS — Ball St. grabbed an early lead and held on through a furious second-half push from Northern Illinois, escaping with a 2-1 victory Wednesday night. The Cardinals struck twice in the first half through Addie Chester and Izzy Ross, then weathered relentless pressure from the Huskies down the stretch. Kate Pallante made six saves to preserve the win in front of a sparse midweek crowd.
Chester opened the scoring in the 3rd minute when she collected a pass from Lexi Watkins and finished low to the goalkeeper's left. Just 34 seconds later, Ross doubled the advantage with an assist from both Chester and Fiona Kilian, giving Ball St. a commanding 2-0 cushion before most fans had settled into their seats. The early barrage set the tone for a first half that saw the Cardinals control possession and limit NIU's opportunities.
NIU finally broke through in the 30th minute when Julianna Hill capitalized on a setup from Mya Newcombe to cut the deficit in half. The goal energized the home side, which began pressing higher and creating more chances as the first half wound down. Ball St. managed the pressure effectively, though Chester's shot attempts in the 35th and 39th minutes sailed high, suggesting the Cardinals weren't entirely comfortable with their lead.
The first 45 minutes belonged largely to Ball St., which controlled the tempo and limited NIU to sporadic counterattacking opportunities. The Huskies' defense struggled to contain Chester's movement, while their own attacking rhythm never quite materialized. Multiple substitutions for both teams in the 24th minute disrupted flow, but Ball St. maintained its two-goal advantage heading into halftime.
NIU emerged from the break with renewed urgency, immediately testing Pallante with blocked shots from Tyra King and Katie Bennett in the 46th minute. The Huskies' intensity picked up noticeably, and they began generating consistent pressure in the Ball St. defensive third. Alyssa Stephenson and Julianna Hill both forced saves from Pallante in the second half as NIU hunted for an equalizer that never came.
Ball St. absorbed the onslaught without cracking, though the Cardinals rarely threatened on the counter. The match devolved into a tense affair with both teams trading free kicks and corners in the final 20 minutes. Aubrey Robertson picked up a yellow card for NIU in the 63rd minute, and the Huskies' frustration mounted as clear-cut chances remained elusive. Pallante's save on a Sophia White header in the 89th minute proved crucial, denying NIU a dramatic late equalizer.
The statistics told the story of a match decided by clinical finishing. Ball St. converted two of its eight shot attempts while NIU managed just one goal on 12 attempts. The Cardinals' four shots on goal compared favorably to the Huskies' seven, and Pallante's six saves kept the visitors ahead when the game tightened. Both teams earned four corner kicks, but neither could capitalize on set-piece opportunities.
Chester and Ross were the standouts for Ball St., combining for both goals and creating problems throughout the match. Pallante's composure in net—particularly her late-game saves—kept the Cardinals in control during NIU's desperate push. For the Huskies, Hill's goal provided a glimmer of hope, though her team couldn't find the breakthrough needed to salvage a point.
The loss extends NIU's winless streak to five matches as the Huskies sit at 4-10-3. Ball St. improved to 10-6-2 with the road victory, a significant result for the Cardinals' NCAA Tournament resume. The Huskies host Eastern Michigan next, while Ball St. travels to face Bowling Green in their next conference matchup.