Wednesday, October 29
DeKalb, Ill.
3 PM ET / 2 PM CT
Ball State University
10-6-2, 7-4-1
2
at
1
Northern Illinois
4-10-3, 2-7-2
1
2
F
Ball State
2
0
2
NIU
1
0
1
Photo by: Heather Parker
Early Offense Leads Soccer to 2-1 Win at NIU
October 29, 2025 | Soccer
Cardinals Begin MAC Tournament Saturday Playing No. 5 Seed Kent State
DeKALB, Ill. – The Ball State soccer team scored a pair of early goals to beat Northern Illinois 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon at the NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
The Cardinals (10-6-2, 7-4-1 Mid-American Conference) got to double digit wins with the decision over the Huskies (4-10-3, 2-7-2 MAC) and concluded the regular season with an 8-2 record in road games.
Addie Chester scored in the third minute off an assist from Lexi Watkins to get the visitors out to a 1-0 edge. Izzy Ross found the back of the net barely a minute later, assisted by Chester and Fiona Kilian, for her first career goal and a 2-0 Ball State advantage.
Chester placed three shots on goal on the afternoon, and the goal was her 11th of the season. Annika Klauss and Emily Roper registered two shots each for the game.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Pallante tallied six saves and limited NIU to only a 31st minute goal.
Both teams earned four corner kicks, while the Huskies took more shots (12-8) and were whistled for more fouls (14-12) and offsides violations (4-3).
Ball State earned the No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament and will play No. 5 seed Kent State at 4 p.m., on Saturday in the first round in Columbus, Ohio.
The Cardinals (10-6-2, 7-4-1 Mid-American Conference) got to double digit wins with the decision over the Huskies (4-10-3, 2-7-2 MAC) and concluded the regular season with an 8-2 record in road games.
Addie Chester scored in the third minute off an assist from Lexi Watkins to get the visitors out to a 1-0 edge. Izzy Ross found the back of the net barely a minute later, assisted by Chester and Fiona Kilian, for her first career goal and a 2-0 Ball State advantage.
Chester placed three shots on goal on the afternoon, and the goal was her 11th of the season. Annika Klauss and Emily Roper registered two shots each for the game.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Pallante tallied six saves and limited NIU to only a 31st minute goal.
Both teams earned four corner kicks, while the Huskies took more shots (12-8) and were whistled for more fouls (14-12) and offsides violations (4-3).
Ball State earned the No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament and will play No. 5 seed Kent State at 4 p.m., on Saturday in the first round in Columbus, Ohio.
Team Stats
BSU
NIU
Goals
2
1
Shots
8
12
Shots on Goal
4
7
Saves
6
1
Corners
4
4
Fouls
12
14
Scoring Plays
Addie Chester (11)
Assisted By: Lexi Watkins
GOAL by BSU Chester, Addie Assist by Watkins, Lexi.
02:30
Izzy Ross (1)
Assisted By: Addie Chester , Fiona Kilian
GOAL by BSU Ross, Izzy Assist by Chester, Addie and Kilian, Fiona.
03:37
Julianna Hill (1)
Assisted By: Mya Newcombe
GOAL by NIU Hill, Julianna Assist by Newcombe, Mya.
30:21
Game Leaders
Shots
3
SOG
3
Goals
1
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Shots
0
SOG
0
Goals
0
Assists
1
Players Mentioned
M
/ SoccerM
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
M
/ SoccerSports Link: Every Step (Annika Klauss)
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