KENOSHA, Wisc. - In a scoreless game with just over a minute remaining, Jaziel Sainz de Vilmorin let go a screamer from outside the penalty area that found the upper left corner to give the 'Cats a 1-0 win over the Parkside Rangers.

Harry Gray, who earned his first career shutout, fired a goal kick that landed deep into the Wildcats attacking end, and Teun Van Gansewinkel corralled the ball down the right side. 

Teun made two defenders miss before dishing it off to Sainz de Vilmorin down the middle, only a few yards outside the penalty area.

Jaziel made a strong move to the right to get onto his strong foot and confidently made a strike. The ball curled to the upper 90 past the outstretched right hand of the keeper. Jaziel celebrated emphatically to the opposite end of the benches, chased after by his teammates.

The Wildcats, who played spoiler today by denying the Rangers a chance at a home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs, were overcome with excitement and stormed the field. 

The players who entered the game were all given yellow cards, which is where the 13 yellows and one red card in the box score came from. This marks the highest single-game total for yellow cards given out in program history.

After being outshot 4-7 with one on target to three in the first half, the Wildcats came out firing in the second and put up eight shots to six with six on target to Parkside's none. Senior captain Tommaso Lami led that attack, posting six shots with four on target.

The Wildcats end the season with a 6-8-2 overall record and a 3-8-1 conference record with 10 points. This marks the most overall wins in a single season since 2019 and the most wins in a single season under head coach Alex Fatovic. The Wildcats will unfortnuately finish just outside of the playoff mark, and the season comes to a close.

NMU men's soccer would like to thank the fans and community for their unwavering support throughout the 2024 campaign, and cannot wait to see everyone next season.