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Women's Soccer - pregame vs Minnesota Duluth
The team huddling before kick-off vs Minnesota Duluth

Women's Soccer Emma Marotz - Athletics Communications Assistant

PREVIEW: Regionally-Ranked Foes Travel to Marquette

Northwood and Cedarville come to the NMU Soccer Field this weekend, ranked fifth and sixth in the Midwest Region, respectively

MARQUETTE, Mich. - After a pair of draws in the regular season opening weekend, the NMU Women's Soccer team is set to host Northwood and Cedarville, as the 'Cats look for its first win of the 2025 campaign. 

The Wildcats, currently 0-0-2 in 2025 under new head coach Erin Egolf, have another set of home regional matches scheduled for this weekend, featuring a pair of foes ranked among the top in the Midwest. The 'Cats kick off against the Timberwolves, the fifth-ranked team, on Thursday, September 11th, and the Yellow Jackets, the sixth-ranked team, on Saturday, September 13th. 

Over the weekend, the 'Cats played to a pair of ties, first a 1-1 result to St. Cloud State before earning the first clean sheet of 2025 in a scoreless draw. Marquette Senior High School product, Isabella Lorens, scored the lone goal against the Huskies, and Jillian Thompson posted her first shutout of the season and made eight saves over two games.

Thompson was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in goal. After week one, Thompson leads GLIAC goalkeepers in goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts. Thompson is no stranger to success, as she set the program record for season shutouts with 14 in 2023. 

Northwood has played only once so far, traveling to Saginaw Valley to open the season last weekend, where they defeated the GLIAC foe 1-0 thanks to a goal from G-MAC Defender of the Week, Ava Kettler. 

Cedarville will have played four GLIAC opponents for its full non-conference slate, starting with a matchup against Michigan Tech on Thursday before finishing in Marquette on Saturday. The Yellow Jackets defeated Ferris State 1-0 before dropping a tightly contested match against top-ranked Grand Valley State, 2-3.  

Follow The Action
Follow @NMU_wsoccer on Instagram and @NMU_wsoccer on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates leading up to and during the games.

Thursday, September 11 - vs Northwood at 1 PM
Watch | Live Stats 

Saturday, September 13 - vs Cedarville at 12 PM
Watch | Live Stats

Hear from Head Coach Egolf
"[We prepare] for every game like it's going to be the hardest team we play all year… Everything is geared toward being the best we possibly can be on game day, no matter who we play. Last year doesn't matter, the year before that doesn't matter; what matters is the here and now."



'Cat Nips
  • Goalkeeper Jillian Thompson was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week for her performance last weekend, and leads GLIAC netminders in GAA, SV%, and SO.
  • Isabella Lorens scored the lone goal for the Wildcats last weekend and leads the team in goals.
  • Freshman Lily Senese recorded her first career Wildcat point in her NMU debut, adding an assist to Lorens' goal.
  • Egolf played 18 student-athletes in the opening weekend, with four playing the entire 180 minutes: Thompson, Hannah Kastamo, Irene Killunen, and Addison Wargo, with five more student-athletes having recorded 150+ minutes.
  • Alyse Daavettila aided NMU in the 3-0 win against Cedarville last season, scoring her first career goal against the Yellow Jackets on September 12, 2024.
  • The Wildcats have never opened a season with two consecutive draws in its 29-year history. The team had two ties in its first three games in 2010, a season in which the team made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

A Look at Northwood
Timberwolves were ranked fifth in the Midwest Region in the first rendition of the United Soccer Coaches poll. A 1-0 win over Saginaw Valley has been the teams only contest so far, with defender Ava Kettler scoring the lone goal to earn her a G-MAC Defender of the Week honor. 

Northwood was selected to finish second in their conference in 2025, as stated in the G-MAC preseason coaches poll. The Timberwolves are returning plenty of key players, including 2024 G-MAC First Team honoree Carly Boyd, G-MAC Freshman of the Year Ella Boyd, and goalkeeper Lindsay Jacob, who has set numerous program records in her two years. 

The Timberwolves have had success the past few seasons, making it to the G-MAC Championship Game in 2024 and winning the 2023 G-MAC Tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament appearance. Since 2023, the Timberwolves have turned in a 29-7-7 overall record, along with a 10-4-4 record on the road.

The 'Cats are 7-9-1 overall against the Timberwolves, drawing 1-1 in Midland last season. Before that, NMU and NU squared off in 2021, splitting the season series with the then GLIAC foe. 

A Look at Cedarville
Another crucial matchup against a fierce regional opponent, the Yellow Jackets enter the weekend after a 1-0 win over Ferris State and a 2-3 loss to then No.5 Grand Valley State after being up 2-1 at halftime. 

The Yellow Jackets finished two spots below Northwood in the G-MAC preseason poll this year. Cedarville returns a pair of 2024 all-conference selections, senior defenders Sophie Browndyke and Maddie McConnell. 

A storied program, the Yellow Jackets have made the NCAA Tournament three times in the past four seasons, with last year snapping a streak of three-straight NCAA appearances after bowing out to Ashland in the G-MAC semifinals. The Yellow Jackets also won an NCCAA National Championship in 2019.

The Wildcats have met the Yellow Jackets only once in program history, a 3-0 win for the Green and Gold on September 12, 2024, taking place on Northwood's "Dean Soccer Field". It was in this game that then-freshman Daavettila scored her first career goal.



 
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Players Mentioned

Alyse Daavettila

#31 Alyse Daavettila

MF
5' 3"
Sophomore
Hannah Kastamo

#7 Hannah Kastamo

D
5' 8"
Senior
Isabella Lorens

#12 Isabella Lorens

F
5' 3"
Junior
Jillian Thompson

#1 Jillian Thompson

GK
5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
Addison Wargo

#24 Addison Wargo

D
5' 3"
Senior
Lily Senese

#22 Lily Senese

F
5' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Alyse Daavettila

#31 Alyse Daavettila

5' 3"
Sophomore
MF
Hannah Kastamo

#7 Hannah Kastamo

5' 8"
Senior
D
Isabella Lorens

#12 Isabella Lorens

5' 3"
Junior
F
Jillian Thompson

#1 Jillian Thompson

5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
GK
Addison Wargo

#24 Addison Wargo

5' 3"
Senior
D
Lily Senese

#22 Lily Senese

5' 4"
Freshman
F