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Sole Corley
Freshman Sole Corley

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

PREVIEW: Women's Soccer at Home to Kick-Off 2026

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The NMU women's soccer team and head coach Erin Egolf will begin the 2026 regular season campaign at home, welcoming the No. 16 St. Cloud State Huskies and the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs to the NMU Soccer Field over the weekend.

The Wildcats begin the regular season with a weekend that features a pair of NSIC opponents, starting with the Huskies on Friday, August 28, at 3 p.m. ET, followed by the Bulldogs on Sunday, August 30, at 12 p.m. ET.

Both matches will be live-streamed on FloCollege, and fans can also follow along using the Live Stats function provided through nmuwildcats.com. Make sure to follow the official NMU Women's Soccer social media channels to stay up to date with all match day coverage leading up to and through the contests.

"I was very pleased [with our preseason]," said head coach Egolf in her weekly media availability. The 'Cats had a condensed preseason with three games in six days, capped off with a 3-1 win over UW-Stevens Point at home on Monday. "Everyone that was healthy got in to all three games, and it was really healthy for us to see where our team was. We have a really good idea of what our team is going to look like going into a real game on Friday, but we have a lot of competition within our team, which is great... We're in a good position to take on a really tough non-conference schedule."

The No. 16 Huskies enter the season under new leadership, as Maggie Sherman was hired as the program's seventh head coach in program history in February of 2026. Before SCSU, Sherman coached five seasons at Division I South Dakota. Sherman brings a pair of new assistants as well, including assistant coach Sean Steele and volunteer assistant coach Damien Klug. The Huskies had a terrific 2025 season, including finishing T-2 in the NSIC regular season, an appearance in the NSIC Conference Championship Game, and two NCAA Tournament wins before bowing out to Washburn 1-0 in the Sweet 16. Senior Linsey Trapino is primed for a breakout campaign, as the forward scored eight goals and six assists for 22 points in 24 games last season. Head coach Sherman describes junior defender Izzy Halunen as "the backbone of this team", as she led all Huskies in minutes played (2193) in 2025, playing the full 90 minutes in all but one occasion.

NMU played St. Cloud to a 1-1 draw in Marquette last season. Isabella Lorens scored the equalizer, Lily Senese recorded the first Wildcat assist of the season, and goalkeeper Jillian Thompson made five saves. The 'Cats are 6-5-1 against the Huskies all-time, and have only been beaten once in the two sides' previous seven meetings. 

"What's different about St. Cloud is they have a new coach. [Sherman] stepped in pretty late in the spring, so there is a lot of unknown about them, and we need to be ready to adapt. We know St. Cloud went to the Sweet Sixteen last year, we know they're going to be a good team, we know they're going to compete heavily, and we have to be prepared for that."

The Bulldogs are coming off a 2205 season where it went 6-8-4 overall and 5-7-3 in conference play, missing the NSIC post-season tournament by just two points. Head coach Greg Cane, who is now in his 35th season at the helm of the program, said that "this year's team is very hungry after missing out on the playoffs last year... Their excitement to earn a playoff spot is noticeable. Their effort and commitment to improve has been very noticeable in the off-season." Forward/Midfielder Jessica Eischens and defender Kailey Tomzak were tabbed as the Players to Watch for the Bulldogs ahead of the season. Eischens, who paced the team with two goals and six assists last season, is a three-time NSIC All-Conference Second Team selection, and Tomzak was fourth on the team in minutes played (1413) a season ago, playing the full 90 minutes on 10 separate occasions. 

The 'Cats played the 'Dogs to a 0-0 draw in Marquette a season ago. NMU is 6-8-3 against the Bulldogs dating back to the 2008 season, including an unbeaten run of play in the past five. Thompson posted a three-save shutout in that match a season ago. 

"Opening weekend sets the tone for your season, and I think our team is very well aware of that. We don't want to look past Friday to Sunday yet, but we're well aware that both of these games could have a major impact in the course of the entirety of our season. Whatever last-minute tune-ups that we need to make, we'll be making this week, and we'll be stepping in fully confident that we're taking on two very good in-region opponents... It's making sure we put on a good performance on Friday so that we can roll that into Sunday."

Watch head coach Egolf's full media availability from the video below.







 
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Players Mentioned

Isabella Lorens

#12 Isabella Lorens

F
5' 3"
Junior
Jillian Thompson

#1 Jillian Thompson

GK
5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
Lily Senese

#22 Lily Senese

F
5' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Isabella Lorens

#12 Isabella Lorens

5' 3"
Junior
F
Jillian Thompson

#1 Jillian Thompson

5' 8"
Redshirt Junior
GK
Lily Senese

#22 Lily Senese

5' 4"
Freshman
F