MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University women’s soccer team defended its home pitch today, defeating the Davenport Panthers 4-1 in the GLIAC Semifinals from Marquette.
The Wildcats (13-3-4) carried a 1-0 lead into halftime before scoring three goals in the second before the Panthers were able to sneak one by to break the clean sheet. NMU out shot the Panthers 15-8, with six on target to five.
“[The girls executed] very well today, especially in the second half,” said assistant coach Natalie Stampfly. “We came in and got one early which was really great, but then we kind of lost a little of what we were trying to do… At halftime we just kind of talked about possessing the ball a little more, sticking to our game plan a little more, and they did a really good job of executing.”
The Wildcats saw goals from Justina L’Esperance, Madison Bilbia, Brooke Pietila, and Sami Brown. Pietila and Bilbia both recorded assists, giving them each three points on the evening, and Molly Pistorius recorded two assists of her own.
Pietila, who was recently named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year, commented about how this team is able to get so much offense from not only her, but a host of Wildcats.
“The way this team trains, it really shows. [The GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year award] was a great honor, but I think it says a lot about my team as well… We knew what we had to do [to get a win today], we came out with confidence, and we were able to get it done.”
The Wildcats ended the regular season with a 1-1 draw to the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on the road, and will now meet them in the GLIAC Championship game after the Cardinals won an exhilarating match, defeating the Grand Valley State Lakers in penalties after the sides ended full and extra time in a 1-1 draw.
“The game [the Cardinals] played against Grand Valley was back and forth and a real battle, and our last game against the Cardinals was the same thing,” added Stampfly. “We’re just really excited to be back here [in the finals] again.”
How It Happened
The Wildcats opened the scoring before the 15 minute mark in the opening half, as Pietila played a through ball to Kastamo streaking down the right sideline. Hannah played a ball to Bilbia who who played in a perfect cross from near the corner flag. A tumbling ball found a perfectly timed jump from L’Esperance, who used her head to redirect the ball past the hand of the netminder.
The Wildcats opened the second half with another early tally to extend the lead to 2-0. Pistorius drove down the left side of the box and played a cross to Bilbia who struck a volley from the opposite side of the box to beat the netminder, giving Madison a goal and an assist on the evening.
Pistorius picked up her second assist of the game on the Wildcats third goal of the evening. A ball was crossed into the box that was partially deflected by the Davenport defense before landing on the foot of Molly on the right side. Pistorius turned and played a short pass to Pietila, who confidently struck the ball with her right boot to beat the keeper in the upper right corner.
Brooke picked up another point in the contest, this time coming from an assist from a set piece. Pietila lined up for a free kick from just infront of the Wildcat student section, sending a booming hit into the box. Brown found the ball land on her foot, turned and fired all in one motion to extend the Wildcat lead.
The Wildcats will face Saginaw Valley State Sunday at one pm in the championship game. The Cardinals excused Grand Valley State 3-2 on penalty kicks. The match is free to attend, or fans can follow along from the radio at 100.3 The Point, or catch the live stream on FloFC.
