MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University women's soccer team hits the road for the second weekend in a row to take on the Davenport University Panthers and the no. 9 Grand Valley State Lakers.

The 'Cats have remained nationally ranked for the fifth straight week, most in program history, coming in at no. 19 in the nation across D2 soccer, per United Soccer Coaches. 

The Wildcats (7-1-3 overall, 3-1-3 GLIAC) square off against the Panthers (4-3-3 overall, 1-3-3 GLIAC) on Friday, October 13, at 4 p.m., followed by the match against the Lakers (7-1-3 overall, 5-0-2 GLIAC) on Sunday, October 15, at 1 p.m.

These are important league games for the 'Cats, as the Wildcats currently sit third on the GLIAC table with nine points. Grand Valley State sits atop the table with 17 points, and Davenport is currently sixth with six points. 

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Friday, October 13 - vs. Davenport University at 4:00 PM
Live Stats | Watch on FloFC

Sunday, October 15 - vs. Grand Valley State University at 1:00 PM
Live Stats | Watch on FloFC

Hear From Head Coach Jon Sandoval
"The road is where character is built, and these next four [matches] are really important for [us] accomplishing our long-term goals. Its about taking one game at a time, and the only focus we have right now is Friday's match."

Cat Nips

• Molly Pistorius continues to be at the top of the GLIAC goal totals with her eight tallies and 17 points. Across the conference, Molly is the only student-athlete with multiple hat-tricks (2), she is first in shots (22) and game winnin goals (2).
• Forward Hannah Kastamo continues to make waves in her sophomore season, as she is second in the GLIAC in points (13), T2 in goals (5), and T3 in assists (3). 
• Brenna Musser also continues to lead the Wildcats with four assists, and is now second across the GLIAC.
• Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson sits at T1 across the GLIAC in shutouts with six, good for T11 nationally. Across the GLIAC, Thompson also is leading the standings in wins (6) and in minutes played with 990.
• Gwen Kiilunen remains to be the only Wildcat who has played almost all 900 minutes through the first 11 matches; she currently stands at 984. Maria Storm and Isabelle Brusilow follow behind in terms of time played, with 947 and 920 respectively.
• As a team, the Wildcats have outscored its opponents 22-7 and outshot its opponents 201-63. Nationally, the Wildcats are 14th in shots on goal per game (9.55), 12th in shot attempts (201), and 16th in shots per game (18.27). The Wildcats lead the GLIAC in total goals scored (22), shots (201), and are T1 in shutouts (6) and assists (15).

Last Week
The Wildcats traveled to Houghton to take on rival Michigan Tech, finishing the match with a 1-1 draw.

Molly Pistorius led the 'Cats in the match against the Huskies, recording the most shots with three, and scoring the lone goal for the team in the 88th minute to secure a point on the road. Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson recorded one save, putting her at 19 this season. 

A Look at Davenport
The Panthers are heading into the Weekend carrying a 4-3-3 record, its latest win coming from a matchup against Saginaw Valley on Sept. 15. Abi Hearn scored the sole goal of the game against the Cardinals, and recorded a shot on goal. In their most recent match against Grand Valley State, the Panthers fell to a 2-1 score, with Madison Fant scoring for the team and Haley Diekevers registering five shots. Fant is ranked T2 in the GLIAC for goals and T3 for points with 11, while Diekevers is T2 in shots with 34.

The Wildcats have not lost to the panthers in five straight games, outscoring the opposition 15-4 and holding a 4-0-1 record. The Panthers are on a bit of a skid, having not won since September 15 against the SVSU Cardinals. Since then, the Cardinals are 0-3-3, being outscored 9-4 in that frame.

A Look at Grand Valley
The Lakers are heading into the Weekend carrying a 7-1-3 record and nationally ranked no. 9, its latest wins coming from matchups against Michigan Tech and Davenport. Two Lakers accrued goals against Michigan Tech, Mackenzie Jones (1) and Kacy Lauer (1), with Daan Louwerse recording an assist. In their match against Davenport, Alli French (1) and Claire Breault (1) registered goals, while four others including Breault recorded a total of 12 shots. Chudik continues to be ranked T2 in the GLIAC for goals with five.

The Lakers are coming into the weekend on a hot streak, securing points in the last 10 of 11 contests, while out scoring its opponents 18-5. The caveat? The Wildcats played the Lakers two weeks ago, playing the Lakers to a 0-0 draw that saw the 'Cats control a majority of the chances down the stretch.