Wildcats unable to go deep into their bench
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. – The NMU men’s soccer team dropped a 0-1 decision to the defending GLIAC champions, the Roosevelt Lakers.
The Wildcats (2-2-3, 1-2-0 GLIAC) lost its first game on the road this season, as they found themselves in the midst of a physical game. The teams combined for 37 fouls and eight yellow cards, with seven of the bookings going against the Wildcats. Despite the adversity in road matches, head coach Alex Fatovic was still proud of how his team played.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys today, another amazing performance and hard-fought battle against the reigning GLIAC champions and a ranked regional opponent. We had to adjust with our captain [Alessandro Scialanga] going down 10 minutes in, and then his replacement, Jan Hoffmann, another senior leader, also goes down, and through all that adjusting, our back line didn’t miss a beat.
“The guys are rightly frustrated [with the result], but the passion, fight, and spirit [with this group] is something I have never seen with this club. The guys are really fighting for each other, and it’s amazing to be apart of.”
Nine of the 11 starters played 78+ minutes today, including a full 90 minutes from Asaf Kristal, Terry Grimaldi, Quint Van Roij, Teun Van Gansewinkel, and Owen Rutledge. Ian Weimer and Isaac Cervantes added big minutes from the bench today, with 53 and 58, respectively.
“At the end of the game we were still pushing to create chances, but we’re walking away with zero [points], so the message is that we have to score on our chances… But at the end of the day, extremely proud of the guys, huge efforts across the board all weekend. Fortunately we have a week before our next match, and we will rest and recover.”
The defending GLIAC regular season champion and eighth-ranked team in the Midwest region, the Lakers (4-1-3, 2-0-1 GLIAC), scored from a bicycle kick with 50 seconds to play in the first half, a goal that would stand as the eventual game-winner. The Lakers were held to nine shot attempts with four shots on goal, its fourth and third-fewest marks of the season.
The counting stats were all very comparable today: the Lakers held a slight edge in shots (9-8) and shots on goal (4-2), and the Wildcats had a slight edge in corner kicks (5-4). Possession percentages were similar as well, with Roosevelt edging NMU at 52% for the match. When in possession, Northern was in the attacking end 57% of the time compared to Roosevelt’s 49%.
Seven is the most yellow cards shown in a single game in program history, aside from the 13 yellow cards shown to the Wildcats in the final game of last season (NMU scored a last-minute game winner, and the team stormed the field to celebrate. Seven of those 13 bookings were given to NMU players who came off the bench to celebrate).
How It Happened
The only shot attempt for either side in the first 25 minutes of play came from the Wildcats, and it was a dangerous one. The Lakers had a goal kick that was taken without any urgency, and the Wildcats forced a turnover in a dangerous area. Van Gansewinkel corralled the ball from just outside the box and was able to walk in one-on-one into the area. Van Gansewinkel hit the ball well to the bottom far corner, but the goalkeeper came off his line to cut the angle down and make a critical save.
After forcing another turnover, Rosen had a great look at goal with ten minutes to go in the half, but his low-driven shot to the far post was stopped by the outstretched hand of keeper Carvajal, getting just a finger on the ball.
In a tie game that the Wildcats were dominating, the Lakers scored a worldie with fifty seconds left in the half. A deep throw-in bounced around the box before finding the foot of Fernandez. With his back toward the goal, he attempted a bicycle kick that he connected with well, and it found the bottom right corner, giving the Lakers a lead going into halftime.
It was a physical opening half, as the teams combined for 22 fouls and a yellow card, with 12 fouls to Roosevelt and 10 to Northern.
The Wildcats had to weather the storm to open the second frame, as Kristal made two saves and the ‘Cats blocked three in the opening five minutes.
Van Roij and the ‘Cats had a look at goal in the final 90 seconds, but the play was whistled offside after Gumbs slid a pass into the box onto the foot of Van Roij, and the chance went awry.
Up Next
The ‘Cats have one match next weekend, on the road to St. Cloud, Minnesota, to play the Huskies on Sunday, October 5, at 1 p.m. ET.
