MARQUETTE, Mich. - The NMU women's soccer team is set to host an important GLIAC matchup against the Parkside Rangers on November 1st, the last home regular game of the regular season .
With a strong conference record of 8-2-1 and 25 points, the Wildcats currently sit atop the conference, two points clear of Grand Valley State. With only one game on the weekend, the 'Cats aim to maintain the top spot in the GLIAC with a win on Friday.
"There is no secret to success. It's a lot of work, a lot of consistency, and intensity, " said head coach
Jon Sandoval in his mid-week press conference. "Hopefully that all shows up in the week leading up to the game because that's where it all stems from".
With two more regular-season games still on the horizon, this matchup against Parkside serves as a vital opportunity for NMU to maintain its position in the conference and gather more momentum heading into the playoffs.
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Friday, November 1 - vs Parkside at 3:00 p.m. ET
Watch on FloFC | Live Stats
Hear from Jon Sandoval
Cat Nips
- The Wildcats are on a nine-game unbeaten streak against Parkside, going 7-0-2 and out scoring the Rangers 23-5 with five shutouts in that frame
- NMU is a top-20 team in the nation in assists (4th), assists per game (6th), points pergame (8th), goals (11th), points (11th), shots per game (11th), shots on goal per game (14th), scoring offense (15th), and goals against average (19th)
- Wildcats with top-25 national individual statistics include...
- Both Brooke Pietila and Kenna Alexander are coming off of GLIAC Player of the Week honors
- Brooke scored two goals and an assist on her senior day, giving her five points on the day
- Kenna registered a goal and an assist while aiding the 'Cats to two shutout victories
- The Wildcats are 5-1-0 at home this season, and 33-3-7 at home under Jon Sandoval
A Look At Parkside
The Parkside women's soccer team enters the matchup against NMU with a conference record of 1-5-4 with seven points, making this game critical for the Rangers as they are five points out of a playoff spot.
Scoring has been an issue for Parkside all season, as the Rangers have been held to one goal or less in all but one game (a 3-1 win over winless Roosevelt). The Rangers went a whole month without scoring a goal, being shutout from September 13 to October 12th, an eight-game stretch.
Key contributors this season include Emily Mikkelson, who leads the team with 2 goals and 2 assists, and Nadiya Ivanchenko (1-2--4) and Ava Rizzitano (2-0--4) adding valuable scoring support.
The Rangers had its one-game weekend most recently, where they dropped a 3-1 decision to Saginaw Valley. Chloe Jarosz scored, Adrianna Rodriguez added an assist, and Lola Minic made nine saves.
