MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University women's soccer team nears the end of the regular season with home matches against Saginaw Valley Cardinals and Ferris State Bulldogs this weekend.

The 'Cats have remained nationally ranked for the seventh straight week, most in program history, coming in at no. 12 in the nation across D2 soccer, per United Soccer Coaches. The number 12 ranking is now the highest the 'Cats have been ranked in program history, surpassing the mark of 13 set earlier this season.

The Wildcats (11-1-3 overall, 7-1-3 GLIAC) will take on the Cardinals (9-3-3 overall, 6-2-3 GLIAC) on Friday, October 27, at 3 p.m., followed by the match against the Bulldogs (5-6-4 overall, 3-5-3 GLIAC) on Sunday, October 29, at 1 p.m.

These are important league games for the 'Cats with the season winding down, as the Wildcats currently sit on top of the GLIAC table with 24 points, and are followed closely by Saginaw Valley with 21 points. Ferris currently sits fifth with 12 points.

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Friday, October 27 - vs. Saginaw Valley at 3:00 PM
Live Stats | Watch on FloFC

Sunday, October 29 - vs. Ferris State at 1:00 PM
Live Stats | Watch on FloFC

Hear From Jon Sandoval
"It's good to secure points on the road. The vibe is really high [among the team], but at the same time we need to make sure we're staying focused, staying engaged, and taking one game at a time."

Cat Nips

• The Wildcats are undefeated at home this season, holding a 4-0-2 record and out-scoring its opponents 14-4. The 'Cats have not lost at home since 9/17/2022, and are 16-0-5 since then.
• Molly Pistorius continues to be at the top of the GLIAC goal totals with her ten tallies and 23 points. Across the conference, Molly is the only student-athlete with multiple hat-tricks (2), she is second in shots (49) and game winning goals (3). On a national level, her goals per game (.67) puts her at T30, points per game (1.53) are good for T40, and shots on goal per game (2.20) are T14.
• Forward Hannah Kastamo continues to make waves in her sophomore season, as she is fifth in the GLIAC in points (13) and T4 in goals (5). 
• Stephanie Trujillo leads the Wildcats with four assists, along with Brenna Musser, and is T2 across the GLIAC.
• Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson sits first across the GLIAC in shutouts with 10, an NMU record for most shutouts in a season, good for T4 nationally. Her 1,350 minutes played this season puts her at T8 nationally and leads the GLIAC. Across the GLIAC, Thompson also is leading the standings in wins (10).
• Gwen Kiilunen remains to be the only Wildcat who has played almost all 1,350 minutes through the first 15 matches; she currently stands at 1,344. Maria Storm and Isabelle Brusilow follow behind in terms of time played, with 1,307 and 1,254 respectively.
• As a team, the Wildcats have outscored its opponents 29-7 and outshot its opponents 244-77. The Wildcats lead the GLIAC in total goals scored (29), shots (244), and shutouts (10), and second in assists (20).

A Look at Saginaw Valley
The Cardinals have dominated their opponents throughout the past six matches, earning a solid record of 4-1-1 in the month of October. Madi Bajis leads the Cardinals in goals (6) and Stephanie Strong leads in the points department (15).

The Wildcats fell to the Cardinals the last time they met on 9/24/23, winning the match by a decision of 1-0. The lone goal of the game being made by defender Solana Kelly, who has a total of two goals this season and one game winning goal. 

A Look at Ferris
The Bulldogs have been on even ground these past few weeks, going 2-2-2 in its last six matches, and being out-scored 14-2 in that frame. Katherine Welch leads the Bulldogs in goals (7) and points (15), putting a point on the board each week since the first of the season.

The last time the Wildcats met with the Bulldogs in Big Rapids, they pulled out a 2-1 win on 9/22/24. Those two tallies were scored by Stephanie Trujillo and Maria Storm. 

Last Week
The Wildcats traveled to Indiana and Wisconsin over the weekend to take on the Purdue Northwest Pride and Parkside Rangers, coming out on top following both matchups. 

In the match against the Pride, Molly Pistorious made the most shots and shots on goal with two each. Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson recorded a save, putting her at 25 this season. 

Three goals were registered by the 'Cats in the game against the Rangers, those coming from Madison Bilbia, Molly Pistorious, and Allison Kroll. Bilbia recorded the most shots with four, while Hannah Kastamo was right behind her with three.