Squanders 3-0 lead in second half
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University Wildcats women’s soccer team faced off against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals in the second GLIAC matchup of the weekend, playing to a 3-3 draw.
The Wildcats had the wind to start the match, and they took advantage, as goals from Hannah Kastamo and Madison Bilbia gave NMU a 2-0 lead going into the halftime break. NMU outshot the Cardinals 7-1 in the first half, including holding 61% possession total. When NMU had the ball, 70% of it was spent in the opposing half, while SVSU only had 11% of its opening half possession in the Wildcat final third.
The Wildcats came out of the gates and scored five minutes into the second half, as Irene Kiilunen continued her scoring from the back end, sending a screamer into the upper left corner, and the Wildcats were poised to exit the weekend securing all three points.
But the Cardinals had other ideas, as three goals in the final 33 minutes from Madi Bajis, Maddie White, and an equalizer with a minute left from Emily Kolodin ended the Wildcats weekend in disappointment.
Wind was a huge factor in today’s matchup, with gusts ranging between 20-30 miles per hour, blowing perfectly in favor for one attacking side. Five of the six goals were scored in that attacking direction.
“We can all talk about how the wind was a factor, but at the end of the day [our team] switched off,” added head coach Erin Egolf. “We thought the game was over, we stopped connecting passes, and we stopped defending organized. We gave this game away, which is super unfortunate, because a six-point weekend would’ve put us in a good position going into the second half of conference.”
‘Cat Nips
- Kastamo scored her team-leading fourth goal and second assist of the season, extending her point streak to three games. All of her points this season have come in this stretch of matches.
- Bilbia netted her second goal of the season, giving her a two-game point streak, recording a goal and an assist in that frame
- Kiilunen, the sophomore defender, added her third tally of the season with a stunner of a goal, giving her three goals in as many games
- Frantti tallied her third assist of the season, matching the team lead
- Buhlman recorded the first point of her Wildcat career, playing a perfect cross to tally the primary assist on the Kastamo goal
How It Happened
Ava Buhlman was able to get the ball rolling with a great connection to Hannah Kastamo, who was near the goal. Buhlman received an immediate return pass from Addison Frantti off her throw-in, and Buhlman sent a long curling cross toward the Cardinal goal. Kastamo was able to get her head on the ball and into the Saginaw Valley goal to open the scoring.
The Wildcats doubled up thanks to a good run from NMU. The ‘Cats forced a turnover in the midfield and began a counterattack with Kastamo and Bilbia. Kastamo played a perfect through ball to Bilbia on the far side, who found herself one-on-one with the keeper. Bilbia made a decisive hit, beating Garbarz to the far side.
The ‘Cats third goal of the day started from a corner kick delivered from Alexander. The ball hit the air with great force. It landed in a mix of both Wildcats and Cardinals before it eventually spurted out to the foot of Kiilunen. Under duress from a Cardinal, Kiilunen was able to make terrific contact with the ball and sent it soaring into the left corner of the goal.
Saginaw Valley added its first point on the board in the second half of the game with a goal from Madi Bajis. A perfectly placed long pass from Ryleigh Gray found a streaking Emily Kolodin, who chased the ball down just outside of the right side of the box. She played a cross to the far post that connected with Bajis, who was left unmarked and finished her chance.
The second Saginaw Valley goal started as a corner kick, and the Cardinals were within one less than ten minutes later. The ball was delivered by Sophia Zalucki, who played it perfectly to the back post, and the cross connected with Maddie White’s foot and she converted on her chance from in tight.
The Cardinals completed the comeback with a minute left to play after some confusion on the NMU side. A clear from Bajis sent Fracassi and Kolodin on a run against the Widcat defender. Buhlman pulled away to let Sides clear the ball, but her clearance was deflected by the NMU defender, and landed onto the foot of Kolodin who had a wide open net.
Up Next
The ‘Cats round out the five-game home stand with one match next weekend, welcoming U.P. rival Michigan Tech to the NMU soccer field. Kick-off against the Huskies is set for 3 p.m.
