MARQUETTE, Mich. - The no. 11 Northern Michigan University women's soccer team marks the end of the regular season with a crucial home match against rival Michigan Tech on Thursday. If the 'Cats win or draw, they will be crowned GLIAC regular season champions.

The 'Cats have remained nationally ranked for the eighth straight week, most in program history, coming in at no. 11 in the nation across D2 soccer, per United Soccer Coaches. The number 11 ranking is now the highest the 'Cats have been ranked in program history, surpassing the mark of 12 set earlier this season.

The Wildcats (12-1-4 overall, 8-1-4 GLIAC - ) will take on the Huskies (8-2-7 overall, 7-1-5 GLIAC) on Thursday November 2, at 3 p.m.

This is an important league game for the 'Cats with the regular season coming to an end, as the Wildcats currently sit on top of the GLIAC table with 28 points, while the Huskies sit in third with 26 points. The result of this match could drastically shift the GLIAC standings going into the post season.

The game will be a green out, encouraging fans to wear green in support of the home team, along with senior day recognitions for the Wildcat seniors and their families. Come out and cheer for the green and gold!

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Thursday, November 2 - vs. Michigan Tech at 3:00 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch on FloFC

Hear From Jon Sandoval
""Obviously, there's a lot of opportunity fot Thursday, which [ultimately] brings a lot of excitement around the game."

Cat Nips

• Molly Pistorius continues to be at the top of the GLIAC goal totals with her ten tallies and 24 points. Across the conference, Molly is the only student-athlete with multiple hat-tricks (2), she is tied for first in shots (55) and tied for second in game winning goals (3). On a national level, her shots on goal per game (2.12) are 16th.
• Forward Hannah Kastamo continues to make waves in her sophomore season, as she is T3 in the GLIAC in goals (6) and points (15), T7 in assists (3), T15 in shots (25), and T16 in shots on goal (12).
• Stephanie Trujillo leads the Wildcats with four assists, along with Molly Pistorius and Brenna Musser, and is T2 across the GLIAC.
• Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson sits first across the GLIAC in shutouts with 11, an NMU record for most shutouts in a season, good for T3 nationally. Her 1,530 minutes played this season puts her at T7 nationally and leads the GLIAC. Across the GLIAC, Thompson also is leading the standings in wins (11).
• Gwen Kiilunen remains to be the only Wildcat who has played almost all 1,530 minutes through the first 17 matches; she currently stands at 1,524. Maria Storm and Isabelle Brusilow follow behind in terms of time played, with 1,487 and 1,434 respectively.
• As a team, the Wildcats have outscored its opponents 31-8 and outshot its opponents 285-88. The Wildcats lead the GLIAC in total goals scored (31), shots (285), and shutouts (11), and are T1 in assists (23).

A Look at Michigan Tech
The Huskies have gotten good results from their opponents throughout the past eight matches, earning points in the last seven of eight matches with a record of 4-1-3 in the month of October. Cassie Bonifas leads the Huskies in goals (5) and the points department (11). Michigan Tech's goalkeeper Gracie VanLangevelde just received GLIAC Defender of the Week after she posted back to back shutouts in a 1-0 win and 0-0 draw, making eight saves.

The Wildcats drew to the Huskies the last time they met on 10/6/23, with a decision of 1-1. The lone goal scored by the 'Cats came from Molly Pistorius, while the Huskies earned their point from Seulgi Lee. The Wildcats are 6-1-2 in the last nine matches against the Huskies, out scoring the opposition 14-8 in that frame. The 'Cats are 3-0-1 at home against the Huskies in that frame. 

Last Week
The Wildcats had home contests against the Saginaw Valley Cardinals and the Ferris State Bulldogs Over the weekend where they drew to Saginaw Valley and came out on top following their match against Ferris State. 

In the match against the Cardinals, Angelina Perritano scored the sole goal for the 'Cats, while Madison Bilbia made the most shots with four. Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson recorded a total of three saves.

The lone goal of the game was registered by Hannah Kastamo in the game against the Bulldogs. Brooke Pietila recorded the most shots with seven, while Molly Pistorius was close behind her with four. Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson registered two saves, putting her at a total of 30 this season, and earning her 11th shutout of the season.