MARQUETTE, Mich. - After a road trip that saw two convincing wins, the Northern Michigan University women's soccer team (4-0 overall, 0-0 GLIAC) returns home to open up its 2023 conference schedule of matches, squaring off against GLIAC foes the Parkside Rangers and the Purdue Northwest Pride.
The 'Cats have just recently been voted #23 in the nation across D2 soccer, per United Soccer Coaches. Last season, the Wildcats peaked at the same #23 ranking, and the Wildcats will look to move up further in the rankings.
The Wildcats kick off against Parkside (3-0 overall, 0-0 GLIAC) on Friday, September 15, at 3 p.m., followed by the match against Purdue Northwest (2-1-1 overall, 0-0 GLIAC) on Sunday, September 17, at 12 p.m.
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Friday, September 15 - vs. Parkside at 3:00 PM
Live Stats | Watch on FloFC
Sunday, September 17 - vs. Purdue Northwest at 12 PM
Live Stats | Watch on FloFC
Hear From Head Coach Jon Sandoval
"It's gonna take a lot on both sides of the ball to get a result against Parkside, it takes everything, and we have to be sharp on every phase of the game… we're fully expecting to get Parkside on one of their best days… then we'll start to look to Purdue afterwords."
Cat Nips
- Molly Pistorius has started her 2023 campaign on a tear, as her two hat tricks have propelled her to the top of the NCAA D2 goal totals. Across all D2 women's soccer, Molly is the only student-athlete with multiple hat-tricks (2), and she is T1 in goals (6), second in points (13) and shots on goal per game (4.00), T2 in game-winning goals (2), T3 in goals per game (1.50), T5 in shot accuracy (.875), and sixth in points per game (3.25).
- Another sophomore making a splash early for the Wildcats is fellow forward Hannah Kastamo, who is second on the team in goals (3), assists (2), and points (8). Hannah also has two game-winning goals, good enough for T2 nationally. Across the GLIAC, Kastamo is T2 in assists, T3 in goals, and T4 in points.
- Across the D2 landscape, goalkeeper Jillian Thompson is T1 in shutouts with three. Across the GLIAC landscape, Thompson leads the league in wins with four, shutouts with three, and minutes played with 360.
- Aside from the goalkeeper, Gwen Kiilunen is the only Wildcat who has played all 360 minutes through the first four games. Isabelle Brusilow and Maria Storm are the next in terms of time played, with 339 and 336 respectively.
- As a team, the Wildcats have outscored its opponents 12-3 and outshot its opponents 73-29. The Wildcats lead the GLIAC in total goals scored (12), assists (8), points (32), and shutouts (3).
Last Week
The Wildcats embarked on its first road trip of the campaign, securing six points with wins over the Lewis Flyers and the Illinois Springfield Prarie Stars.
Molly Pistorius was the story of the match against the Flyers, finding goal three times to give her six goals in the early 2023 campaign.
Brenna Musser and
Hannah Kastamo both registered assists in the contest, and goalkeeper
Jillian Thompson recorded her second straight shutout.
Hannah Kastamo and
Stephanie Trujillo scored for the Wildcats against the Prarie Stars,
Brenna Musser picked up an assist, and goalkeeper
Jillian Thompson picking up her third straight shutout. The Wildcats improved to 4-0 overall on the season.
A Look at Parkside
The Rangers are coming into the Weekend carrying a 3-0 record, out scoring its opponents 5-1 in those games, including a 2-1 win over Lewis to start the season. Three Rangers have accrued goals, those being Alexis Baker (2), Alexis Bolger (2), and Kate Brown (1), with four more recording an assist. Izzy Guyer has been the main goalkeeper for the Rangers through three games, and she carries a 0.43 GAA and a .938 SV% with 15 saves.
A Look at Purdue Northwest
The Pride enter the weekend matches with a 2-1-1 overall record, out scoring its opponents 8-3 over four matches. Kaci Pampreen leads the Pride and is second in the GLIAC in goals (4) and points (9). Emma Carter leads the Pride and is T1 across the GLIAC in assists with three. Goalkeeper Meta Fischer has started every game for the Pride, recording a 0.75 GAA and a 0.727 SV% with eight saves.
