Rosen scores for Wildcats; Kristal blanks the Pride
HAMMOND, Ind. – The NMU men’s soccer team earned its first conference win of the 2025 campaign, a 1-0 decision over the Purdue Northwest Pride.
The Wildcats (2-1-3, 1-1-0 GLIAC) got its first conference win of the season, earning a crucial three points on the road and snapping a four-game losing streak in Hammond, as the last time the ‘Cats won at Purdue Northwest was October 24, 2021, also a 1-0 decision.
NMU got the game’s lone goal from Luca Rosen, who finished off a tic-tac-toe play from Teun Van Gansewinkel and James Carr. Asaf Kristal stopped everything that was on target, earning the third clean sheet of the season and first of the conference schedule.
“Extremely proud of the boys today,” added head coach Alex Fatovic, who oversaw his team get its first win in Hammond, Indiana, during his tenure. “There is no such thing as an easy road GLIAC game, and this game was no different. Massive team effort from everyone to get our first conference win under tough conditions, and now we turn our attention to a huge game against the defending champions on Sunday.”
A big part of the clean sheet was the big minutes from key defenders, including full 90 minutes from Alessandro Scialanga, Terry Grimaldi, Quint Van Roij, and Owen Rutledge. Carr (88) and Andrea Mercanti (75) also logged big minutes.
The Pride (1-5-1, 0-1-1 GLIAC) are winless in back-to-back home games for just the second time in the last three years and have been held scoreless for just the second time this season, the first coming in the 0-3 loss to Lewis to open the season.
Despite being outshot seven to 20, NMU matched PNW with three on target. The Pride held a 13-2 corner advantage, the most corners the Wildcats have conceded in a single game since allowing 13 against Parkside on November 4, 2021.
‘Cat Nips
- Rosen (2-1–5) has scored goals in back-to-back contests, the first Wildcat to do so since Scialanga scored three goals in two consecutive games on 9/14 and 9/21 last season.
- Van Gansewinkel (2-1–5) picked up his first assist of the season, and is tied for the team lead in points
- Kristal and the Wildcats have three shutouts in the first six games of the season; the ‘Cats have now accumulated three or more shutouts through the opening six games in all four seasons under head coach Fatovic
- The last time the Wildcats won a game when they were out shot by 13 or more was the last time the ‘Cats beat the Pride on the road; October 24, 2021
How It Happened
The Wildcats were awarded a throw-in deep in Pride territory on the near sideline. Carr’s throw-in went deep into the box, where it was skillfully corralled by Van Gansewinkel, using his back to shield away the defender near the right goal post. In one swift motion, Van Gansewinkel settled the ball and played a quick pass out to Rosen, who took a hit first-time. His right-footed, low-driven strike curled toward the far side, perfectly placed to the inside of the far post and beating the Pride goalkeeper.
Up Next
The ‘Cats now turn its attention to Sunday, where the team travels to Chicago, Illinois, to face off against the reigning GLIAC regular season and GLIAC co-tournament champions, the Roosevelt Lakers. Kick-off from Morris Field is set for 3 p.m. ET.
