MARQUETTE, Mich. - The No. 8 Northern Michigan University women's soccer team is set to be the host for one of the sites of the first two rounds of the Midwest Regional tournament. The 'Cats are set to play Maryville (MO) on Friday, November 19, at 1:00 p.m.

This is the first time the 'Cats will be hosting a round of the NCAA tournament and the third time in program history they will be a part of the tournament (2023, 2022, 2010). The 'Cats met Maryville in the tournament opener last season, dropping the contest 0-1, and will now look to return the favor on the home pitch.

MEDIA PASS REQUESTS
Please reach out to Braden Golisek (brgolise@nmu.edu) or Zach Nicholas (znichola@nmu.edu) for any requests you have in regard to media access for the matches.

Tournament Schedule:

Friday, November 17 - Grand Valley vs. McKendree at 10:00 AM
Tickets | Live Stats | Watch on FloFC - TBA

Friday, November 17 - vs. Maryville at 1:00 PM
Tickets | Live Stats | Watch on FloFC - TBA

Sunday, November 19 - TBD vs TBD at 1:00 PM
Live Stats | Watch on FloFC - TBA

Hear From Jon Sandoval
"We are making sure we can prepare them the best way possible for this weekend."

A Look at Maryville
Maryville was crowned GLVC Regular Season Champions after finishing first in the regular season with a 10-1-2 conference record and 32 points. The Saints defeated Missouri S&T 3-1 in the quarterfinals, but then fell to Lewis Univeristy in the semifinals after losing 3-0 in penalties after full time saw a 0-0 result.

Senior midfielder Lexi Gentry was awarded GLVC Offensive Player of the Year, becoming Maryville's first-ever recipient of the award. Gentry led the conference in assists (8) and finished third in points (20) along with six goals, three of which were game-winning-goals. Head coach Lori Lawson was voted by her peers as GLVC Coach of the Year, the program's first-ever recipient of the award.

Along with the two individual awards, three athletes were named to the All-GLVC First Team, four were named to the All-GLVC Second Team, and three were named to the All-GLVC Third Team. Both Lexi Gentry and Brooke Slater were named to the 2023 GLVC All-Tournament Team.

Lexi Gentry (6-9--21) leads the Saints in assists and points, and both Ashlyne Hunt (7-2--16) and Nika Vemdal (7-1--15) lead the team in goals. Gigi Yurevich has started and finished all 19 matches in goal, and holds a 0.51 GAA and a 0.787 SV% with 11 shutouts. As a team, the Saints have outscored their opponents 44-10, averaging 2.32 goals per game, and outshooting the opposition 292-114. 

Cat Nips

• The Wildcats were crowned 2023 GLIAC Post-Season champions and GLIAC Regular Season Champions, the first time for both in program history
• The Wildcats are currently on an impressive unbeaten streak at home; boasting a 21-0-6 record at on their home pitch, with the last defeat coming on September 17, 2021
• Forward Molly Pistorius was named 2023 GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year; she leads the 'Cats with 14 goals and four assists for 32 points
• Defender Maria Storm earned the title of 2023 GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year; a mainstay in the back line, Storm has been one of the most quality defenders in the conference. Starting in all of the matches for the 'Cats, she has amassed 1833 minutes played with two goals - both coming as game-winning goals
• Head coach Jon Sandoval was named 2023 GLIAC Coach of the Year after guiding the 'Cats to a program-first GLIAC Regular Season title and GLIAC Post-Season title. Sandoval now holds a 48-16-11 record as head coach, along with an astounding 28-1-7 home record
• Pistorius, Storm, and Brooke Pietila were named to the First Team All-GLIAC
• Stephanie Trujillo, Isabelle Brusilow, Gwen Kiilunen, and Jillian Thompson were all named to the Second Team All-GLIAC. Hannah Kastamo earned Honorable Mention
• Pistorius, Pietila, Storm, and Thompson were named to the GLIAC All-Tournament team
• Pistorius has scored four goals for six points in her last three games, Pietila has two assists in her last two matches, and Thompson has only allowed one goal in her last five matchups
• As a team, the Wildcats have outscored their opposition 40-9, averaging 1.90 goals per game, and have outshot the opposition 369-126, averaging 17.6 per game
• The 'Cats have been composed this season, amassing six yellow cards to the opposition's 18 yellow cards and two red cards

Last Time Out
The Wildcats won the 2023 GLIAC Championship, the first time in program history, off a 1-0 win against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Brenna Musser scored the game-winner in the 21st minute of the match, her first goal of the season. The 'Cats outshot the Rangers 24-6 with 13 on target to the Rangers three. Jillian Thompson earned her 14th shutout of the season.