3-1 over Purdue Northwest
MARQUETTE, Mich. – In a nail-biting game, the Wildcats found success against the Pride, surging for three goals in the second half to complete the comeback.
The Pride put one on the board first, scoring within the 25th minute of the first half.
Head coach, Alex Fatovic spoke about the goal that put the ‘Cats down, “We were a little bit asleep, we were not aware of what was going on…We knew that once they were up a goal, we just had to essentially manage the second ball.”
Down 0-1 to start the second half, the ‘Cats clawed their way back to the top as Tommaso Lami, William Uchenna, and Davian Gumbs found the back of the net.
“We just believed that the ball was going to go in and that happened,” said captain Tommaso Lami. “This happened because of the defense, all the players on the bench, it was an amazing feeling. I don’t have words to describe it.”
Northern had six different athletes record at least one point during today’s match. Fatovic stated, “Really great effort, full team effort, and this sets us up nicely for a massive game on Sunday.”
The Wildcats, still undefeated at home, now have a record of 4-1-1 overall, and 1-1 in the GLIAC. With a match against Parkside on Sunday, the ‘Cats look to go undefeated for the weekend.
Cat Nips
- Tommaso Lami found the back of the net first, earning his second goal of the season
- William Uchenna scored his second goal of the season and first career game-winning goal after earning his second start of the year
- Davian Gumbs also scored for the Wildcats, earning his second goal of the season as well
- Jan Hoffman, Jaziel Sainz de Vilmorin, and Finn van den Berg assisted today’s goals, awarding them all a point each
- Nils Cedergren had a strong performance, allowing only one goal in out of 10 shots faced and four on-target
- Alessandro Scialanga, Finn van den Berg, Luca Rub, and Quint Van Roij played the full 90 minutes
- The Wildcats outshot the Pride 17-10, with nine on target compared to the Pride’s five
- The ‘Cats earned seven corners during the game, while the Pride only had one
- The ‘Cats matched its single-game season highs in points (9), goals (3), assists (3), shots on goal (9)
How It Happened
The Wildcats came in hot with a strong offense for the beginning of the first half. Tommaso Lami whipped a cross into the 18-yard box, but was missed by the ‘Cats in the box.
Lami continued to press Purdue Northwests’ defense, striking the ball in the 5th minute into the bottom left corner, but was saved by Tomas Rozman.
Going back and forth, both teams were taking their chances and looking to score. In the 25th minute, Rami Hassan Zantout received the ball outside the arch of the 18-yard box, and fired it into the bottom right corner, just out of reach for Cedergren.
With the Pride up by one goal, the battle continued. The teams ended the first half with five shots on goal each, two yellow cards shown to each team, and three corners for the ‘Cats versus one for Purdue Northwest.
The Wildcats came out guns blazing in the second half, determined to find the back of the net.
With shots already fired in the first few minutes, the Wildcats found the crossbar twice. The first came from Alessandro Scialanga, who ripped a free kick shot, but unfortunately found the top post. Seconds later, Max Rebori volleyed the ball off of a cross, hitting the crossbar yet again.
In the 61st minute, Lami dribbled into the center of the field right outside of the 18, fired a shot into the left corner and was the first Wildcat to find the back of the net and even the playing field in the second half.
Not two minutes later, Finn van den Berg slipped it past a defender into Jan Hoffman, who redirected the ball across the net and found the foot of William Uchenna. Uchenna volleyed it into the bottom left and had the ‘Cats second goal of the game.
The Wildcats weren’t done yet. Jaziel Sainz de Vilmorin played a beautiful service into the box, as Davian Gumbs was on the other end, putting the ‘Cats up 3-1 against the Pride.
Up Next
The Wildcats will face Parkside, the reigning regular season champions, on Sunday, September 27 at 2 p.m.
