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Xhoel Lutaj
Xhoel Lutaj against Parkside this past Sunday

Men's Soccer Braden Golisek - Assistant Director of Sports Information

#21 Men's Soccer Embark on Final Road Trip of Regular Season

The conference schedule flips, and the 'Cats face Parkside and Purdue Northwest for the second-consecutive weekend

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The NMU men's soccer team takes to the road for the final regular-season road trip of the season, taking on the Parkside Rangers and Purdue Northwest Lions.

The Wildcats (7-2-2 overall, 4-0-2 GLIAC, 14 pts - 1st GLIAC) enter the weekend ranked nationally, earning the #21 spot in the most recent United Soccer Coaches poll. In the same poll, the Wildcats are also ranked second in the Midwest region and are currently ranked second in the Midwest region by NPI ranking.

The 'Cats earned six conference points on the weekend, downing the Lions 2-0 on Friday before defeating the Rangers 1-0 on Sunday. Senior captain goalkeeper Asaf Kristal earned GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Kristal and the Wildcats have now recorded three straight clean sheets, spring boarding the NMU keeper past Alex Weaver (2020-2022) for most shutouts in program history.

"It was a good weekend for everybody," added head coach Alex Fatovic in his weekly media availability. "Got the six-point weekend, so, fantastic performance. I think from start to finish all weekend it was tough. Both teams were going to be tough, and I think in terms of a full team effort, that's what we got. So, yeah, pleased with the weekend."

The Wildcats now look ahead to its final regular season road trip of the season, traveling to play the Rangers (3-6-1, 1-4-1 GLIAC, 4 pts - T5 GLIAC) on Friday, October 9, before meeting the Lions (6-6-2, 3-2-1 GLIAC, 10 pts - 4th GLIAC) on Sunday, October 11. Kickoff for Friday is set for 12 p.m. ET, and 3 p.m. ET on Sunday. Both games will be available for streaming through FloCollege.

When asked about the teams' preparation for the weekend, head coach Fatovic says that not much will change for the final road trip of the regular season, including how he gets the team mentally ready for a match and not getting too far ahead of themselves when looking at current standings.

"It's the same as it's always been; It's one day at a time for us. I know it's cliché, but it's really what we subscribe to. So, for us, Tuesday is recovery day, [practice] Wednesday, and we get back on a bus on Thursday... We're really comfortable with our weekly and daily routines, and we just stick to it. We don't get too far ahead, and these guys are really up for it.

"They're playing for each other, so there's not much I have to do. I look at myself as more of a shepherd or a guide; just keep them on track, and they'll be fine. They're flying... they're playing as hard as they possibly can. So, we're not ready to talk about stats or standings or placement. We're just talking about Parkside on Friday."

Subscribing to the one game at a time mantra, the 'Cats look to its Friday match against Parkside, whom the 'Cats battled to a 1-0 win thanks to an 80th-minute winner from Luca Rosen, who capitalized on the 'Cats first penalty kick of the season. 

The Rangers host the Lions in Kenosha on Wednesday, October 7, and are currently battling for positioning in the GLIAC conference standings. Head coach Fatovic and his crew understand the gravity of the weekend, and are confident that his crew - who has not lost a game in seven straight - will be up for it.

"Big, big game. It's hard to beat a team twice in a row in the same week. So regardless of the result on Sunday, it's going to be an absolute battle on Friday. [Parkside] is a team that is playing [Wednesday] and playing for their lives. So we just got to recover well this week and prepare our bodies and our minds for another massive game on Friday.

"The guys know what we're playing for now, right? It's all there in front of us. So, I don't think we're going to see a drop in terms of their energy, and that's our biggest strength. So, we'll just prepare this week and deal with it on Friday."









 
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Players Mentioned

Asaf Kristal

#1 Asaf Kristal

GK
5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
Luca Rosen

#10 Luca Rosen

F
5' 7"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Asaf Kristal

#1 Asaf Kristal

5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
GK
Luca Rosen

#10 Luca Rosen

5' 7"
Senior
F