Ball State’s five-year winning streak against Northern Illinois ended with a 3-1 loss yesterday.

Northern Illinois (8-4-4, 2-3-3 MAC) came in fighting to continue their winning streak that placed them as the No.5 team in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). With this battle came 31 fouls total, collisions and bruises and one yellow card on Ball State’s assistant coach Peyton York.

Junior defender Aubrey Robertson scored for the Huskies in the 18’ minute of the game, making her second goal of the season. The assist came from senior defender Lea Gruennagel.

Although the Cardinals saw similar opportunities to the Huskies, they failed to score in the first 45 minutes. They held consistent stats going into halftime with six shots and three on goal (same as NIU) but were unable to capitalize.

Cardinals anticipated well, intercepting passes and being first to the ball, but their luck faded as they approached the goal. The aggression from Northern Illinois influenced many whistles offering the Cardinals free kicks just outside the box. The messy scramble was enough for NIU to clear the ball and avoid a tie.

“I feel like individually, we’re all really talented, probably one of the more talented teams in the MAC, but just got to figure out how to put the pieces together,” junior Addie Chester said.

Less than two minutes into the second half, NIU proved themselves with another goal by sophomore forward Tyra King, assisted by McLaughlin.

The clock was stopped in the 61’ minute after a collision between Ball State’s graduate student forward Avery Fenchel and Purifoy. Both players went down with injury concerns but continued to play after a health check. This interaction cost Fenchel a yellow card.

“It was a physical game … if it was officiated differently I think the game plays and feels different. It put both teams in positions of risk of injury by how it was called today,” Rife said.

NIU continued to capitalize with another goal from graduate student midfielder Abby Zipse, who scored in the 69’ minute.

The Cardinals hit the scoreboard when Ball State graduate student defender Jordyn Jeffers scored the final point in the 81’ minute. Sophomore forward Kaelyn Valleau aided with the assist.

“We are here to represent the program and the University. That is our message. … As a coach you don’t just sign up for the good days, you’re here to see it out,” Rife said reflecting on the final score of 3-1.

With two games left in MAC play, Ball State (7-6-2, 2-4-2 MAC) sits as the No.11 team in the conference, leaving a slim chance of playing in the tournament.

“We are shifting our focus towards doing the best we can for those [last] two games. Playoffs are probably out of the picture for us,” Jeffers said.

The Cardinals are on the road again this weekend to play Western Michigan Oct. 27 at 1 p.m.

Contact Meghan Sawitzke via email at meghan.sawitzke@bsu.edu or via X @MSawitzke.

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