Skip To Main Content

Northern Michigan University

The Official Website of the Northern Michigan Wildcats Northern Michigan Wildcats
Men's soccer celebrates 1-0 win over UWP
0
Wis.-Parkside UWP (3-6-1, 1-4-1)
1
Winner Northern Mich. NMU (7-2-2, 4-0-2)
Wis.-Parkside UWP
(3-6-1, 1-4-1)
0
Final
1
Northern Mich. NMU
(7-2-2, 4-0-2)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Wis.-Parkside UWP 0 0 0
Northern Mich. NMU 0 1 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Braden Golisek - Assistant Director of Sports Information

Late Heroics from Rosen Guides NMU past Parkside

After dominating the match, the Wildcats broke through as Luca Rosen converted on the teams' first penalty kick of the season

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The NMU men's soccer team grinded out a gritty win at the NMU Soccer Field, defeating the Parkside Rangers 1-0 on Sunday.

With the win, the (RV) Wildcats (7-2-2, 4-0-2 GLIAC, 14 points) now stand all alone at the top of the GLIAC table, three points clear of Roosevelt and Saginaw Valley. NMU is undefeated in its past seven, posting a 5-0-2 record while outscoring its opposition 18-4.

The senior captains came up clutch for the Green and Gold today. Forward Luca Rosen, after generating chances and chances for 80 minutes, got himself into the penalty area and was brought down from a poor tackle, earning his team a penalty. The striker confidently stepped up and delivered, giving NMU a 1-0 lead with 10 minutes to go.

Goalkeeper Asaf Kristal made five saves to record his third clean sheet of the season, all of which have now come in succession of one another. 

"Huge win," added head coach Alex Fatovic, who earned his first win in Marquette over the Rangers. "Obviously, six-point weekend, there's nothing better than that. It was a perfect weekend, but it took all game for us to get the result, and I think that's huge for us in the long run, because now we can actually sweat out wins. We can grind out wins, so huge performance." 

A big reason for the 1-0 result was the play of Parkside goalkeeper Mateusz Pass, who made nine saves on the afternoon, including grade-A opportunities from Rosen, Sergio Cano Castro, Xhoel Lutaj, and the rest of the Wildcats' dangerous playmakers. Rosen had 12 shots with six on target, and Cano Castro fired five shots with three on the frame. Lutaj hit a ball destined for the net, but an outstretched hand got just enough of it to graze the crossbar.

"Their goalkeeper just played a fantastic game, game of his life, kept his team in it all game long, but then finally the breakthrough from who other than Luca Rosen. So, fantastic results, third shutout in a row, and there's nothing better than two wins on the weekend... We created five or six world-class chances in the first 20 minutes to try to take the lead, and you know, as I said, the keeper was fantastic.

"And then the resiliency in the back to not concede, not giving anything away, was fantastic. Clean sheet again, really pleased with that. Huge gutty win."

The Wildcat defense turned in a phenomenal effort, staying confident and composed when adversity showed. Senior defender Davian Gumbs was the key member of the back line, as his effort, energy, and crucial tackling provided a spark for Marcos Gallardo Rozano, Noah Girard, and James Carr, who all played the full 90 minutes. Midfielders Julius Lemm and Lutaj both turned in 80+ minute performances, providing a calming and dominant presence in the middle of the park.

NMU got appearances from five student-athletes off the bench, led by a 46-minute shift from Asa Dean, as he and Ian Weimer (44 minutes) led the front line of the 'Green and Gold.

In the match, the 'Cats outshot the Rangers 26-17, with 10 on target to five, and produced nine corners to UWPs three. There were no yellow cards shown, and fouls were even at 10-8, with the Rangers being whistled for two more.

The Wildcats now take to the road for its final regular-season road trip of 2026 as the conference calendar flips. After hosting Purdue Northwest and Parkside on Friday and Sunday, the 'Cats will now play Parkside and Purdue Northwest on the road on Friday and Sunday. 





 
Print Friendly Version