ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - The Northern Michigan University women's soccer team started off the road trip with a convincing win over the Lewis Flyers, fueled by Molly Pistorius' second hat-trick of the season, which led the 'Cats to a 3-0 win.

Molly Pistorius was the story of the match, finding goal three times to give her six goals in the early 2023 campaign. The Wildcats remain unbeaten to start the 2023 campaign and improve to 3-0 overall. The Flyers fell to 1-2-1 overall at the start of the season.

Goal scorer Molly Pistorius had this to say after the decisive road victory against the Flyers:

"Proud of our first team win on the road. Looking forward to building on the momentum. Everyone showed out tonight and this sets the tone for us moving forward. Go Cats!"

Cat Nips

• Molly Pistorius' hat-trick now gives her six goals and 13 points in just three games. Pistorius was all over the field offensively, recording 10 shots with seven on target. 
• Brenna Musser and Hannah Kastamo both registered assists in the contest.
• Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson recorded her second straight shutout.
• Defender Gwen Kiilunen was the only player outside the keeper to play all 90 minutes. Isabelle Brusilow was the next closest, recording 86.
• The Wildcats heavily outplayed the Flyers, leading in shots (22-2), shots on goal (12-0), and corners (6-0).
• The Wildcats were slightly undisciplined, as the 'Cats were charged with 11 fouls and one yellow card. Lewis was charged with seven fouls and no yellow cards. 

How It Happened
1st Half
It only took six and a half minutes for the Wildcats to open the scoring, as the pressure from Brenna Musser and Molly Pistorius was too much for the Flyers to handle. Brenna forced a turnover near the Flyers box and made a nifty give-and-go play with Molly who made no mistake to find the back of the net from in tight.

30 seconds later, Hannah Kastamo intercepted a Flyer pass and picked up a head of steam down the left side. She beat her defender wide to the goal line then played a perfect cross into the penalty area for Molly Pistorius who volleyed the ball out of the air with her left foot to find the goal and double up the Wildcats lead to 2-0.

Three's the magic number for Molly Pistorius, as she received a perfect through ball from Madison Bilbia, and Molly was off to the races. With a full head of steam, she out-paced the Flyers' defensive line and found herself one-on-one with the keeper. Molly made no mistake in finishing her chance from in tight, extending the Wildcats lead to three in the first 12 minutes of the contest.

2nd Half
The Wildcats came out of the gates in the second half with the same energy as the first, and generated a chance for goal in the first three minutes. Brenna Musser collected a ball inside the penalty box with her back to the goal to hold off a defender. She made a nifty move to get the ball into a shooting position, but just sent the shot attempt by the far post.

The Wildcats clearly dominated play and generated far more chances late into the contest. Isabella Lorens had a chance to score with a header from inside the goal area, but the keeper made an excellent leaping save to send the ball over the crossbar. The ensuing corner kick was a perfectly placed ball into the box, but would eventually roll through the penalty area untouched for a goal kick. 

The 'Cats dominated play from the first to final whistle, as the green and gold cruised to a 3-0 victory to go 3-0 to start the season.

Up Next
The Wildcats continue the road trip, heading south to Springfield, Illinois, to face off against the Illinois Springfield Prarie Stars