MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University women's soccer team continued their hot start to the season, claiming a 4-1 victory over Saginaw Valley State on Sunday. 

NMU improves to 7-0-1 this season with a 4-0 GLIAC record. 

The Green and Gold jumped in front early off the foot of freshman Molly Pistorius. 

After nearly a half-hour of game-time with back-and-forth-action, Maria Storm found the goal with less than two minutes left in the half for a 2-0 halftime lead. 

A dozen minutes into half two, Brooke Pietila made it a 3-0 advantage, but SVSU got it back minutes after. 

Brenna Musser put the finishing touches on the game in the 86th minute with another NMU goal. The Wildcats would be victorious 4-1.  

"It was a strong effort today against Saginaw," Molly Pistorius commented in the postgame. "We pushed through to the very end and came out with a win and a great 6-point weekend."

"We came into this weekend knowing we needed 6 points," Maria Storm added. "We did what we needed to do as a team to get the job done. Now it's time to shift our focus to Friday."


First Half
Molly Pistorius wasted little time to get NMU on the board. In the 9th minute, Maria Storm sailed an arcing pass over a pair of defenders that Pistorius met just outside of the box where she snuck it low left past the diving keeper for an early lead. 

DU's Amy Babon spotted a nice opportunity in the 19th minute, as she got a kick away without a defender nearby. Shenae Kreps made a nice leaping stop in the net to maintain the NMU one-goal advantage. 

Isabelle Brusilow earned herself a nice look at the net in the 41st minute, but the ball curved just left of the net as it neared the keeper. 

With less than two minutes left, Evelyn Flor pushed a loose ball across the box that Maria Storm found and gilded it across the goal-line for a 2-0 lead, which held until the halftime whistle. 

The teams played competitive back-and-forth ball in the first half. NMU held a slim 5-3 edge in shots and 3-2 advantage in shots on goal. The 'Cats held four corners to SVSU's zero. 


Second Half
SVSU saw a couple of solid opportunities, but they were unable to put a quality shot on goal. 

In the 57th minute, Molly Pistorius sent a crosser where the ball found teammate Brooke Pietila who let the ball hop once in front of her, then lobbed a perfect kick over the goalkeeper to the far corner for a 3-0 lead. 

Stephanie Strong earned that goal back minutes later for SVSU for her second goal this season. NMU led 3-1 in the 61st minute. 

The Panthers continued to apply pressure, but defender Rachael Erste came up monumental for the 'Cats in the 68th minute, facing a shot as a stopgap goalkeeper and deflecting the shot away from the net. 

Brenna Musser got the three-goal advantage back late for NMU in the 86th minute, as she scored for the third time this season. Pistorius added the assist. 


A Look at the Stats
Freshman Molly Pistorius scored her fourth goal of the season in the 9th minute. She also added a pair of assists. 

Maria Storm scored for the second-straight game in the final minutes of the first half. 

Brooke Pietila scored for the sixth time this season. 

Musser scored her third goal of the season, becoming the sixth 'Cat to reach that mark this season.  

The Wildcats narrowly led in stats across the board, holding an 11-6 edge in shots, 7-4 in shots on goal, and 6-1 in corner kicks. 


Up Next
The Wildcats will hit the road, as they will take on reigning national champions Grand Valley State on Friday, September 23 at 7 p.m.