Triston Nelson scores for Wildcats
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Northern Michigan (NMU) men’s soccer team (4-3-4, 3-3-1 GLIAC) fell on the road to the Davenport Panthers by a margin of 3-1.
The Wildcats out shot the Panthers 19-15 over the course of the match, but Davenport was able to put one more ball on target than NMU (9-8).
The Panthers were also the recipients of three yellow cards on the day while NMU was assessed one yellow card themselves.
Davenport was able to take control of the match in the opening half, pushing ahead to a 3-0 lead going into the break.
Triston Nelson was able to get the Wildcats on the board in the second half with his first goal of the season in the 81st minute, but it would ultimately not be enough as the Panthers held on for the 3-1 victory.
How it Happened
The Panthers struck early after earning a free kick opportunity just outside the left corner of the NMU box as Charlie Davis fired in the shot into the right side of the net off of the set piece.
Both teams would then battle back and forth with both sides grasping for whatever edge they could find. Northern Michigan was able to turn up the pressure with multiple shot attempts, but the Davenport defense held firm, doing just enough to keep the threats off target. The Wildcats continued to press the attack, earning a corner kick attempt in the 21st minute, but the Panthers’ defense fended it off, blocking multiple shot attempts in the process.
Luca Rosen found himself with multiple opportunities to drive the ball at the net, but DU goaltender Beau Hudd stood tall between the posts, twice knocking the ball away for back-to-back saves.
Davenport was able to double up the score in the 29th minute after forcing a takeaway inside the NMU box as Easton Lopez passed the ball off to Davis who fired in his second goal of the day. The Panthers continued to apply pressure, including three consecutive corner kick opportunities with just over ten minutes remaining in the half, but the Wildcat defense was able to fend them off time and again. However, the Panthers managed to drive the ball in late in the half as Dugan Black slotted the ball in low to close out the half with a 3-0 advantage.
NMU proved to be aggressive in the second half, including a strong attack in the 68th minute that was just kicked away by Hudd. However, in the 81st minute, the Wildcats got on the board after firing the ball in from near midfield to a waiting Max Rebori who corralled it and passed off to Triston Nelson for his first goal of the season.
The Wildcats continued to press the attack, but the Panthers were able to do just enough to hold on for the 3-1 victory.
Up Next
The Wildcats now turn their attention to a battle against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 19 with kickoff scheduled for 11 a.m. in University Center, Mich.
