Keeper Asaf Kristal only needed to make two saves for his first shutout of the season
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The Northern Michigan (NMU) men’s soccer team (5-2-2, 2-0-2 GLIAC) earned a dominant 4-0 victory on the road against the Huskies of St. Cloud State (SCSU) (2-6-1, 0-3-1 GLIAC) on Saturday to tie the Roosevelt Lakers at the top of the GLIAC standings.
James Carr provided the lone score of the opening half with a one-touch finish off of a cross by Luca Rosen.
The ‘Cats would then tack on three more in the second half, starting with the NMU record-setting 11th goal of the season by Rosen in the 50th minute. Vinni DaSilva and Asa Dean would each score in the 76th and 79th minutes, respectively, to cap off a dominant 4-0 victory for the Wildcats.
Defensively, Asaf Kristal was able to save both shots he faced to secure his first shutout of the season.
How it happened
The Wildcats would apply heavy pressure to the SCSU defense, including the first shot on goal of the game nearly 10 minutes into the contest as Vinni DaSilva lofted a very high-arcing shot from the right side that would have dropped in just below the crossbar had St. Cloud State goaltender Erik Willke not leapt up and punched it away. NMU continued to press the attack with a dangerous opportunity for Luca Rosen that just missed to the right of the net as well as a free kick from just outside the left corner of the box by Marcos Gallardo Rozano that was stopped by Willke. However, the pressure would pay off in the 37th minute as Rosen drove into the left corner before sending in a crossing pass where a waiting James Carr fired the ball into the back of the net on the first touch to open up the scoring as the ‘Cats went into the halftime break with a 1-0 lead in the match.
Five minutes into the second half, Sergio Cano Castro sent a crossing pass from the right side that found its way to Rosen, who fired it up and into the upper left corner of the net to double up the score, marking his 11th goal of the season and claiming sole possession of the NMU record for goals in a season. Later in the half, DaSilva would tack on another in the 76th minute after firing in a shot that took a friendly deflection off of a Husky defender that sent it into the back of the net, and a few minutes later, Sam Pilgrim would send the ball in deep from beyond midfield to connect with Asa Dean, who then beat his defender one-on-one before sneaking it through for the fourth Wildcat goal of the day, closing out a dominant performance for the ‘Cats.
Up Next
The Wildcats return to action on Friday, Oct. 2 when they return home to host the Purdue Northwest Lions at the NMU Soccer Field with the opening kick scheduled for 3 p.m.
