PREVIEW: Women's Soccer Opens 2025 at Home

Wildcats Host St. Cloud and Minnesota Duluth for Opening Weekend

MARQUETTE, Mich. - For the first time under new head coach Erin Egolf, the Wildcats will compete in a pair of regular season contests, marking the home opener and season opener for the women's soccer team.

The Wildcats welcome a pair of NSIC foes to Marquette over the weekend, hosting St. Cloud State on Friday, September 5, at 1 p.m., before capping off the weekend with Minnesota Duluth on Sunday, September 7, with a 12 p.m. kickoff.

The Wildcats are 6-5 against the Huskies all time, 5-1 in the last six meetings, and have not lost at home since the 2016 season. St. Cloud snapped a five-game Wildcat win streak last season, getting a 2-1 win in Minnesota in the two sides last meeting at the beginning of 2024.

The 'Cats are 6-8-2 all-time against the Bulldogs and are currently on a four game win streak dating back to 2021. The two sides last meeting ended in a 6-1 win for the 'Cats in Minnesota at the beginning of 2024, and the last time the Bulldogs were triumphant at the NMU Soccer Field came back in 2018.

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.

Friday, September 5 - vs St. Cloud St. at 1 PM
Watch | Live Stats

Sunday, September 7 - vs Minnesota Duluth at 12 PM
Watch | Live Stats

Hear From Erin Egolf
"We have girls that challenge for everything, they tackle everything, they win everything, and there's a certain edge to it that I love. There is no team that is going to play us and then leave feeling like it was an easy game... I think our team is very competitive and they get after it, and I love that about them."

Season Preview
The NMU women's soccer team has been selected to finish 4th in the GLIAC in 2025, as voted on by the coaches.

2025 GLIAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Grand Valley State 62 (6)
2. Saginaw Valley State 51 (1)
3. Ferris State 48 (1)
4. Northern Michigan 46
5. Davenport 41 (1)
6T. Michigan Tech 24
6T. Purdue Northwest 24
8. Parkside 19
9. Roosevelt 9

After back-to-back regular and postseason conference championships and a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats experienced their fair share of roster turnover, including the hiring of Erin Egolf as the program's eighth coach in program history.

"We are looking forward to the season ahead. While there has been a lot of change within the program, the goals remain the same, and those are to compete for conference championships, be a top contender in the Midwest region, and perform on the national stage. Between the mix of returning players who are ready to build on the success of recent seasons and new players eager to get into the team and contribute right away, our team will be prepared to battle. The season is here, and we are all ready to get to work!"

Egolf joined the Wildcats after spending the 2024 season as an assistant coach at Division I Illinois State, where she played for the Redbirds in 2009 as a starting central midfielder and a 2009 MVC All-Freshman Team member. Before joining the Redbirds, Egolf had a remarkable career as the head coach of the University of Springfield women's soccer program. In her nine seasons as head coach, Egolf became the winningest coach in UIS program history while taking the team to three GLVC tournament berths in 2017, 2022, and 2023.

"The level of accountability is high, the standards that the [student-athletes] have for themselves is really high, and I don't have to do a lot in terms of motivation; they bring a lot of effort every day... We have to control what we can, and that's something I'm big on. No matter how good of a soccer team you are, we can always control our effort and our attitude within the organization."

Egolf hired her assistant, Nathan Phillips, who joined the Wildcats after three seasons as an assistant coach with Millikin University. After Phillips joined Millikin in 2022, the Big Blue saw improvements each season, posting records of 5-7-3 in his inaugural season, 7-6-4 in his second, then making a jump to 14-4-1 and earning the three seed in the CCIW tournament and the right to host a playoff game for the first time in program history.

The Wildcats return a key piece to its success over the last handful of seasons in Hannah Kastamo, who returns to the roster for her senior campaign. Kastamo had a breakout season in 2024, including earning All-America First Team distinction, Scholar All-America second team distinction, an All-Region First Team selection, GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year, GLIAC Fall Commissioner's Award recipient, All-GLIAC First Team selection, and All-GLIAC Tournament Team selection.

Junior forward/midfielder Madison Bilbia returns for her third season with the 'Cats after doubling her production from her first season in her sophomore campaign, finishing fifth on the team in both goals (4) and points (12) last season.

"[Coach Egolf's] impact has been bringing a sense of calmness," adds Bilbia, who acknowledged the nerves around the hiring of a new coach. "On the first day she came in, she had everything together and we stepped into practice like it was completely normal... A big part of it is not looking at the season as a whole, but taking it day by day. We start with the first day of preseason, we take that day as hard as we can, and then each day is a new day that we're focusing on."

Other key pieces include senior defender Kenna Alexander, who logged the fourth most minutes of playing time among the team, played in all 22 contests, and scored two goals with an assist last year. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Jillian Thompson is also returning, a netminder who in her first season as the starter set a program record and led the nation with 14 shutouts to go with her record-setting 0.36 goals against average.

"I'm super excited to embrace the change," adds senior defender Addison Wargo, who returns for her fourth campaign in the green and gold after posting career highs in games played, games started, and minutes played last season. "We had a stellar season last year, and [we're] excited to see what we can do [this year]. We have our standards, and we keep to them."

The Wildcats roster is broken down into four seniors and nine upperclassmen, while introducing 14 freshmen. The Wildcats open the season with a handful of exhibitions in Marquette, starting with UW-Stevens Point today, August 22, at 2 p.m., then finishing with Carroll University on Sunday, August 24, at noon.

"I would encourage anyone to come out and see us," adds Egolf, who will be making her Wildcat coaching debut just hours from now. "It's going to be high-level soccer, and our team is going to walk away from every game proud of the effort we put out... We've got a lot of home games this fall, and we would appreciate anyone who came out and showed their support. Go 'Cats!"

A Look at St. Cloud State
The Huskies were selected to finish fourth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, announced by the league on August 14, 2025. St. Cloud has had a great run of form the past two seasons, making it to the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons, posting 10+ wins in consecutive seasons, and set a program record 11-game unbeaten streak in 2024. The Huskies return a pair of standout athletes in First Team All-NSIC selections, senior forward Ellie Primerano and junior defender Ana Spaine.

A Look at Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs were selected to finish 11th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, announced by the league on August 14, 2025, after a 2024 season that saw the team post a 2-12-3 overall record. Senior goaltender Kaycee Chavez and junior attacker Jessica Eischens were both listed as NSIC Players to Watch. Greg Cane, who was appointed as the teams first head coach in 1994, returns for his 32nd season as Bulldog head coach in 2025. Cane has only had two seasons where his team has failed to produce more than two wins, those being 2024 and his first year in 1994.

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Players Mentioned

#10 Kenna Alexander: MF; 5' 4"; Senior

#13 Madison Bilbia: F/MF; 5' 5"; Junior

#7 Hannah Kastamo: F/D; 5' 8"; Senior

#1 Jillian Thompson: GK; 5' 8"; Redshirt Junior

#24 Addison Wargo: D; 5' 3"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#10 Kenna Alexander
: 5' 4"; Senior
: MF

#13 Madison Bilbia
: 5' 5"; Junior
: F/MF

#7 Hannah Kastamo
: 5' 8"; Senior
: F/D

#1 Jillian Thompson
: 5' 8"; Redshirt Junior
: GK

#24 Addison Wargo
: 5' 3"; Senior
: D

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PREVIEW: Women's Soccer Opens 2025 at Home

Wildcats Host St. Cloud and Minnesota Duluth for Opening Weekend

Players Mentioned

#10 Kenna Alexander

#13 Madison Bilbia

#7 Hannah Kastamo

#1 Jillian Thompson

#24 Addison Wargo

Players Mentioned

#10 Kenna Alexander

#13 Madison Bilbia

#7 Hannah Kastamo

#1 Jillian Thompson

#24 Addison Wargo