MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University Men's Soccer team will take to the road for matchups against Lewis University and Lake Erie College, a weekend where the 'Cats will face a pair of opponents that have both reached the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament in the past three seasons.
These two crucial regional match-ups come fresh after securing the team's first win of the season last weekend, in a faceoff with Lawrence Tech (2-1). The 'Cats will be looking to continue this momentum into the first set of away matches for the 2025 season.
Similar to NMU, the Lewis Men's Soccer team emerged from its opening weekend with one win and one tie. The Flyers were victorious against Purdue Northwest (3-0), while ending in a draw against Wisconsin-Parkside (2-2). After its opening weekend, the Flyers were ranked the sixth-best team in the Midwest Region.
Lake Erie tied with Gannon (3-3) and UIndy (0-0) during their 2025 season home debut last weekend. The Storm will enter the weekend ranked as the eighth-best team in the Midwest Region.
The Wildcats will face the Flyers on Thursday, September 11, at 2:00 p.m., followed by its match on Sunday, September 14, at 1:00 p.m., against the Storm.
The team will travel to Illinois and Ohio, making it the longest road trip of the season for the Wildcats.
Follow the Action
Follow @NMU_Msoc on Instagram and @NMU_Mens_Soccer on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the matches.
Thursday, September 11 vs. Lewis at 2:00 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats
Sunday, September 14 vs. Lake Erie at 1:00 p.m.
Watch | Live Stats
Hear from Alex Fatovic (26:15)
"This is the the type of trip we want, it gives us a chance to be competitive in the region... this is going to be a huge test for our guys. They're up for it, we're up for it, and these are the kind of games we want to be in."
'Cat Nips
- Asaf Kristal earned his first shutout during his debut as a Wildcat in Thursday's match against Northwood (0-0).
- Teun Van Gansewinkel scored his first goal of the season and second of his career on Saturday's win over Lawrence Tech (2-1).
- Davian Gumbs recorded his third career tally and first game-winner to push the 'Cats to the team's first win of the season.
- Luca Rosen, Alessandro Scialanga, and James Carr all recorded an assist in the LTU win.
- Gumbs and Van Gansewinkel currently lead the team in goals after their opening weekend, with one apiece.
- Goalkeeper Kristal along with field players Scialanga and Carr have played the full180 minutes of competition so far. Quint van Roij (177), Owen Rutledge (173), and Van Gansewinkel (169) are also among the team leaders in minutes played.
Notes on the Opponents
Lewis
A strong team in the region, Lewis has made the NCAA tournament the past four consecutive seasons. During the 2024 campaign, the Flyers won the GLVC Regular season and Conference Tournament, while going 11-3-8 and making an NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2023, the team went 13-4-6 before being knocked out of the GLVC tournament by Indianapolis. The Flyers got revenge in the Sweet Sixteen en route to a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In the last four seasons, the Flyers are 47-17-20 overall and 20-8-5 at home.
Last season, the Wildcats played this team to a 2-2 draw during a home match in Marquette. Mikey Revell is the current points leader for the 2025 Flyers team after last week's opening weekend, recording a goal and an assist for three points.
Lake Erie
In 2024, Lake Erie fell in the first round of the G-MAC Conference Tournament to Kentucky Wesleyan. Like Lewis, the Storm are on the heels of NCAA Tournament success, and are eager to get back to that success. 2023 saw the Storm advance to the G-MAC Championship game and make an NCAA Tournament appearance, 2022 saw the team make a deep run to the Final Four, and 2021 saw the team capture its first G-MAC title and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In the lasr four seasons, the Storm are 48-26-13 overall and 22-10-3 at home.
This will be the fourth meeting in program history between the Storm and the Wildcats, with the most recent meeting being in 2019. After two wins in two games last weekend, the Storm are led by Sophomore, Nicolas Vagujhelyi, who scored a pair of goals over the weekend.
