ST. PAUL, Minn. – On a chilly evening in St. Paul, the University of Northwestern women's soccer team took on Crown College in a conference matchup. The Polars entered the game coming off back-to-back draws, including a tie with UMAC powerhouse UW-Superior last week. Crown has established a reputation for its defensive approach, keeping numbers packed deep in the defensive third, but the Eagles broke through to earn a 2-0 win despite the Polars' defensive efforts.

Facing a crowded box all night, the Eagles still fired off 36 total shots, with most coming from outside the 18. Their breakthrough finally came in the 63rd minute off a corner from Marie Kendall (Dakar, Senegal/Dakar Academy). Her delivery dropped into a crowded area, and amidst the scramble, Mallory Moseman (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) emerged with the decisive touch to put the Eagles on top, marking the second goal of her career. 

Northwestern doubled its lead in the 76th minute when Kendall slipped a pass through to Haley Mersberger (Kiel, Wis./Elkhart Lake Glenbeulah). Mersberger's initial shot was saved, but after beating her defenders, she calmly tapped in the rebound to make it 2-0.

The Eagles finished with 16 shots on target. Moseman and Mersberger provided the goals, while Kendall tallied both assists to cap off a strong performance that also included three shots on target. Mersberger led the attack with six shots on goal, and Meghan Corbett (Sartell, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral) added two. In net, Sam Hansen (Cottage Grove, Minn./New Life Academy) made one save to preserve the shutout.

Northwestern will celebrate its seniors before kickoff at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 1, when they host the University of Minnesota Morris in their final regular-season game. The Eagles have already clinched a spot in the UMAC postseason tournament, with their seed to be determined following this weekend's conference results.