BGSU women’s soccer (7-1-6, 2-0-5 MAC) heads on the road once again, this time out west to take on Northern Illinois (4-6-3, 2-3-2 MAC) at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex on Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. The match marks the first of three road games left in the Bowling Green regular season, all of which begin with road trips of five hours or more en route to NIU, Buffalo, and UMass. 

While head coach Chris Fox and the Falcons remain undefeated in conference play with a 12-game unbeaten streak dating back to Aug. 17, the Huskies have gone 2-2 in their past four games that have been a roller coaster for NIU fans, with a 5-0 loss to Buffalo on Oct. 5 being followed up by a 1-0 victory over Western Michigan that broke the Broncos’ 29-game conference match unbeaten streak. 

Bowling Green currently maintains sixth place in the MAC standings, a mark that would be good enough to make the 2025 MAC Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, as the last team in. Northern Illinois is currently on the outside looking in at ninth place out of 13 squads, but they are still well in the race, trailing the Falcons by three points that could be made up instantly with a victory on Thursday night. 

In the matchup history between the Huskies and the Falcons, BG has won the last three games, all by a one-goal margin, with last year’s game ending with a 2-1 final score at Cochrane Stadium. 

Scouting Bowling Green 

After a shaky first half, the Falcons rallied back on Sunday afternoon to hold on to their unbeaten streak that became the longest in program history in a 1-1 draw with Miami (OH). After a handball inside the box, junior midfielder Emme Butera scored her first goal of the season by slotting a penalty kick into the back of the net, bringing the score even. The Falcons had multiple chances for a game-winner in the last nine minutes, but they would finish the match with their third straight draw despite outshooting the RedHawks 11-5 in the second half.  

Despite their 12-game unbeaten streak, the Falcons have hit some bumps offensively since the beginning of conference play, especially on the road, scoring a combined two goals in three road MAC matches, all of which have ended in draws.  

The remedy to this ailment seems to be getting more offensive chances in the first half, as in their four 1-1 draws in MAC play, the Falcons have gone down early and had to fight and claw their way back rather than being the one to score first. The Falcons are 5-0 in matches where they get on the board first, but only 1-4-1 when their opponents score first, with their lone win coming against Robert Morris on Sept. 4 

Junior forward Ella Kane, who returned from injury last week against Eastern Michigan and was the leader of the Falcon offense against Miami, played 53 minutes off the bench and registered four shots, the most of any Falcon. Despite playing in only nine games and starting only six, Kane ranks third on the team with 13 shots and ties forward Isabella Mazzaferro with five points on the year. 

Kane’s energy that she has provided off the bench in both games since her return has provided a spark that has led to a comeback in both cases, and her pairing with junior forward Emma Stransky will be a contributing factor in the outcome of Thursday night’s match. 

The Falcon defense continued their unbelievable season on Sunday afternoon in the 1-1 draw with the RedHawks. The Falcons still have not allowed more than one goal in a match all season, and they rank second-best in the MAC with nine goals allowed in 14 games played.  

In the absence of junior captain Taylor Green, the defense has continued their consistency under the leadership of West Virginia transfer Gabby Lamparty, who has emerged as one of the most versatile defenders in the conference alongside sophomore and 2024 All-MAC Freshman Team member Haley Wolf and redshirt junior Jayna Searles, who have provided that same consistency at the outside back position throughout the 2025 season.  

After the trip to NIU, the Falcons return home on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m. for a matchup with another MAC Tournament contender, the Ball State Cardinals (7-5-2, 4-3-1 MAC) at Cochrane Stadium. 

Scouting Northern Illinois 

The Huskies have had a roller coaster of a four-game stretch under head coach Michael O’Neill, winning 1-0 in Mount Pleasant before returning home and going 1-1 in a two-game homestand that features a 5-0 loss to a Buffalo team that is second in the MAC standings, but also a 1-0 victory over Western Michigan, the MAC leader at a 5-1-1 conference record.  

After a 1-0 loss to Kent State in their most recent match, the Huskies need a positive four-game stretch to end the season if they want to keep their hopes of returning to the MAC Tournament after missing out in 2024. 

Offensive struggles have seriously plagued the Huskies in 2025, as the squad has scored only three goals in seven MAC matches and has been shut out eight of their 13 matches on the season. The team ranks second to last in the MAC with six goals for, leading only Central Michigan, while allowing 1.46 goals per game, a mark that is the third most in the conference. 

Junior forward Tyra King leads the Huskies with four points and two goals on the season. King is poised to break out in the final four games of 2025, as she earned All-MAC Second Team honors in 2024 after earning 21 points off eight goals and five assists, and began her career with three 2023 goals and a spot on the All-MAC Freshman Team.  

Senior forward Kelsi McLaughlin put her name in the history books with her game-winning goal in the match against Western Michigan. The Indiana native has three points on the year and eight in two seasons with the Huskies after transferring from Illinois State before the 2024 season. 

After the home match against BG, NIU will travel to Athens to battle the Ohio Bobcats on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m.