3-0 victory over Purdue Northwest
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University men’s soccer team ended the season the right way, earning a full six points on senior weekend, capped off with a 3-0 win over the Purdue Northwest Pride.
With the win, the Wildcats move to 7-4-5 overall and 6-4-2 in conference play to finish the regular season as the third-place team in the GLIAC conference, marking the most wins in a season and the best finish in Wildcat men’s soccer history. Head coach Alex Fatovic said that the success his team has “mean’s everything” during his post-match press conference.
“This program means a lot to me and my family. To see the guys grow, not only in the last four years, but the even just the last few weeks how we turned a really bad weekend into three straight wins… I’m just so proud of the guys… We’re third in the conference, and we’re proud of that, but every day is a climbing day for us, and they definitely had another climb today.”
Luca Rosen (9-2–20) scored a pair of wonder-goals today for tallies eight and nine on the season, as he moved into second place alone for single-season goals in program history, passing Tommaso Lami (2022, 8) and is now one behind the record, held by Sam Popp (2018, 10). The ‘Cats got its third goal from Ian Weimer, who now has three goals in as many games, with head coach Fatovic adding that the front three have been “doing really well” for his side as of late.
“When [Rosen] gets isolated, he’s going to have a chance to score, and when the combination [of Weimer and Van Gansewinkel] is working on the far side of the field, [Rosen] is going to be wide open… And Ian Weimer getting on the scoresheet again, he’s just getting better every game, and his great form has allowed someone like Luca to go and get his goals.”
The Wildcats got major contributions from their seniors today, including a start and an hour of play from Jan Hoffmann, 84 minutes and a clean sheet from defender Alessandro Scialanga, an assist from Triston Nelson in a terrific performance off the bench, and a good shift from Max Rebori when he appeared. Goalkeeper Harry Gray replaced Asaf Kristal for the final four and a half minutes, and no one was a bigger supporter than fellow senior netminder Mads Huegel.
“I’m really proud of the seniors, especially the big ones in Jan [Hoffmann] and Alessandro [Scialanga]. I got to spend the last ten seconds with Jan; we were trying to get him back in, and I’m glad he didn’t [end up going back in], because I got to thank him for all the hard work he’s put in… To see the seniors playing at this level at the end of their careers, it means a lot, because this whole group has put in the time and energy, and I am really grateful of that.”
With the win today, the Wildcats move into the third seed entering the GLIAC tournament, and will play host to Purdue Northwest in a rematch of today next weekend. Today’s contest got physical, featuring nine yellow cards booked and a red card shown to Demian Martinez, making him ineligible for Sunday’s contest. When asked about preparation for next weekend, head coach Fatovic said his side have been playing in “playoff-style matches” to end the season.
“We’ve been in [playoff-type atmospheres] for the past couple of weeks now, so its really no different for us. One game at a time, one practice at a time, and it’s a fight every game in the GLIAC.”
How It Happened
The Wildcats had a chance to take the lead just four minutes in, as Rosen played a perfect pass to Van Gansewinkel, breaking to the back post. Teun’s original strike was a good one, saved by the keeper, and his rebound header hits the crossbar. Minutes later, the Pride hit a post of its own, and the game remained scoreless in the early going of this match.
The Pride beat the goalkeeper Kristal after a mad scramble, but defender Van Roij was on the goalline and blocked the Pride shot before clearing the ball off the goalline.
Rosen opened the scoring off a Wildcat set play. The free kick was sent in and worked around before Kowalczyk slid a pass to Rosen. Rosen moved his way toward the box and fired a screamer with his right foot that found the bottom left corner.
Rosen earned his brace and doubled the Wildcat lead just under eight minutes into the second half. Rutledge played a long ball to a racing Rosen down the left-hand side before cutting into the top of the box. Rosen confidently struck the ball with his right, curling a ball into the upper right corner.
The Pride would have to play the final half an hour down a man, as Demian Martinez was shown a red card for stepping on Van Gansewinkel.
Coming on as a substitute, Nelson started a fast break with Weimer. Nelson played a ball into Weimer, who split the defenders and scored, sealing the deal with eight minutes to play.
Up Next
The ‘Cats are set to host a GLIAC postseason match for just the second time in program history. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, September 9, at the NMU Soccer Field.
