Rosen and Preston-Watkins each score two goals
MARQUETTE, Mich. — The NMU men’s soccer team earned a decisive 4-0 win over the St. Cloud State Huskies at the NMU Soccer Field on Friday.
In what is already being dubbed ‘The Wind Game’, the Wildcats (8-4-2, 5-2-2 GLIAC, 17 pts) and Huskies (4-9-2, 2-6-2 GLIAC, 8 pts) dealt with constant 30-40 mph north winds, making one team play head-on for 45 minutes.
NMU opened the half defending, going head-on into the hurricane-esque winds. The Wildcats not only won the first half, but the Green and Gold dominated, scoring two goals to take a 2-0 advantage going into 40 mph winds. Luca Rosen added his 13th of the year off a combination play from Sergio Cano Castro and James Carr, and Noah Preston-Watkins added his 4th of the season in the final minute thanks to a perfect passing play from Xhoel Lutaj and Carr. Despite looking straight into the barrel of 40 mph winds, the Wildcats outshot the Huskies 6-5, with three on target to two.
The field flipped and, no, you’re not having deja vu, it was Rosen and Preston-Watkins scoring again, as they both completed their brace with goals at 54:42 and 66:11. Cano Castro added another pair of assists in the second half, giving the freshman forward three assists on the evening to hit 10 helpers on the year, becoming the first player in NMU soccer history to record 10 assists in a single season. Both Carr and Lutaj ended the match with a pair of helpers as well.
At the time of writing, Rosen’s 14 goals is first, and Cano Castro’s 10 assists in the season are second across the Division II landscape.
The Wildcats got six saves from senior captain Asaf Kristal, who earned his fourth clean sheet of the campaign. Isaac Cervantes logged a full 90 minutes along with the NMU keeper, as the only two ‘Cats to play 80+ minutes. After the ‘Cats went up 4-0, head coach Fatovic used his bench to his full advantage, playing 11 substitutes in today’s match.
On the whole, the ‘Cats outshot the Huskies 19-11 with 10 on target to six. The ‘Cats generated seven corners to two, were flagged for two offsides to one, and fouls were nearly even at 8-7.
The ‘Cats now look ahead to Sunday afternoon, a critical matchup between two of the conference powerhouses and GLIAC champion hopefuls. Kickoff from the NMU soccer field is set for 3 p.m., following the completion of the NMU women’s soccer team vs. Michigan Tech at noon.
