MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University women's soccer team (6-1-1 overall, 2-1-1 GLIAC) returns home for two more GLIAC matchups, hosting the no. 13 Grand Valley State Lakers and the Davenport University Panthers.

The 'Cats have remained nationally ranked for the third straight week, most in program history, coming in at no. 18 in the nation across D2 soccer, per United Soccer Coaches. 

The Wildcats take on Grand Valley State (5-1-2 overall, 3-0-1 GLIAC) on Friday, September 29, at 3 p.m., followed by the match against Davenport (4-1-2 overall, 1-1-2 GLIAC) on Sunday, October 1, at 1 p.m.

These are important league games for the 'Cats, as the Wildcats currently sit third on the GLIAC table, with Grand Valley State and Davenport landing first and fourth, respectively.

Sunday's match against the Panthers is a Pink Out game, encouraging fans to wear pink for breast cancer awareness.

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Friday, September 29 - vs. no. 13 Grand Valley State at 3:00 PM
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Sunday, October 1 - vs. Davenport at 1 PM - Pink Out
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Hear From Head Coach Jon Sandoval
"As I've mentioned many times before, everybody [in the GLIAC] on any given day can beat you, [and] Grand Valley and Davenport are no different… It's going to be really important that we play with pride this weekend to defend our home field."




Cat Nips

• Molly Pistorius continues to be at the top of the GLIAC goal totals. Across the conference, Molly is the only student-athlete with multiple hat-tricks (2), and she is first in goals (6), points (13), and shots (32). Nationally, her six goals are T10, her 13 points are T19, her 18 shots on target are T21 and her 32 shot attempts are T25. 
• Forward Hannah Kastamo continues to make waves in her sophomore season, as she is second on the team in goals (4) and points (10), and third in assists (2). Across the GLIAC, Hannah is second in points (10) and third in goals (4).
• Brenna Musser leads the Wildcats with four assists, good for T1 across the GLIAC and T14  nationally
• Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson sits in second across the GLIAC in shutouts with four, and T8 nationally. Across the GLIAC, Thompson also is leading the standings in wins and in minutes played with 720.
• Gwen Kiilunen is the only Wildcat who has played almost all 720 minutes through the first eight matches; she currently stands at 719. Maria Storm and Isabelle Brusilow follow behind in terms of time played, with 680 and 667 respectively.
• As a team, the Wildcats have outscored its opponents 18-6 and outshot its opponents 158-49. Nationally, the Wildcats are fifth in shots on goal (85), eighth in shots on goal per game (10.62), sixth in shot attempts (158), and 11th in shots per game (19.75). The Wildcats lead the GLIAC in total goals scored (18), assists (12), points (48), shots (158), and shutouts (4).

Last Week
The Wildcats embarked on its second road trip of the season, securing a win against the Ferris State Bulldogs and falling to the Saginaw Valley Cardinals 0-1.

Stephanie Trujillo and Maria Storm led the 'Cats in the match against the Bulldogs, each of them scoring goals. Trujillo recorded one assist, and Brooke Pietila registered a solid five shots. Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson recorded two saves, and the team posted 25 shots.

Trujillo and Madison Bilbia had the most shots in the game against the Cardinals with three, while Biblia had the most shots on goal with two. Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson made two saves in her 90-minute gameplay for the 'Cats. 

A Look at Grand Valley
The Lakers are heading into the Weekend carrying a 5-1-2 record and nationally ranked no. 13, its latest wins coming from matchups against Purdue Northwest and Wisconsin–Parkside. Two Lakers accrued goals against Purdue Northwest, Emma Chudik (3) and Ella Kleiver (1), with three more recording assists. In their match against Wisconsin–Parkside, Emma Chudik scored the lone goal with an assist made by Kacy Lauer. Chudik is ranked second in the GLIAC for goals with five and fourth in points with ten. 

A Look at Davenport
The Panthers enter the weekend matches with a 4-1-2 overall record, finding wins against Quincy University, Truman State, Tiffin University, and Saginaw Valley since the start of the season. Haley Diekevers leads the Panthers in goals with four and is currently ranked #5 in the GLIAC. Diekevers is also ranked second in the GLIAC for shots with 26; she is also T2 in points. Goalkeeper Gabriana Bennecke has started all six games for the Panthers, recording a 0.50 GAA and a 0.857 SV% with 18 saves. Garbarz is T3 in the GLIAC for SV% and T1 in goals against average.